Lincoln – At a ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol on August 8, 2022, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts declared August 28-September 3, 2022, Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week, (NDOAW).
Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the 93,655 deaths estimated in 2020. The 2021 increase was half of what it was a year ago, when overdose deaths rose 30% from 2019 to 2020.
Stop Overdose Nebraska works in conjunction with the Statewide Narcan Program, which allows anyone who is a Nebraska resident to obtain lifesaving Narcan at no cost at a participating pharmacy, without a prescription or insurance. Narcan can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, including drugs laced with fentanyl.
“We can all be part of the solution by helping to reduce stigma, supporting programs in our communities, and helping to spread awareness about overdose. August 31st was established as International Drug Overdose Awareness Day to increase public knowledge about the severity of drug overdose, and the Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week is aimed at letting people know how they can help and to remember those that have been lost to drug overdose,” said Amy Holman, Project Coordinator for the Nebraska Pharmacists Association.
This year, we are excited to bring the award-winning documentary, Tipping The Pain Scale, to the Grand Cinema in downtown Lincoln on August 31, 2022, at 7:30 p.m., which is International Overdose Awareness Day. We encourage people to come out and watch this film that addresses the addiction crisis we are facing in America.
The addiction crisis in America has reached a new boiling point, and courageous people-at all levels, from all walks of life-are rising to answer the call. Tipping The Pain Scale is a feature documentary film following individuals grappling with the current systemic failures of how we have dealt with addiction in communities and their journey to develop and employ new, innovative, and often controversial solutions to the problem. It is a quasi-anthology, weaving characters through their own stories as they connect to the issues plaguing all communities and the country in an urgent fight to save lives.
You can purchase tickets at https://gathr.us/screening/32089.
We will also be talking with individuals in Nebraska who are working with people in recovery, are in recovery themselves and are doing their part to help the overdose crisis we are now facing. These will be available during NDOAW on all the Stop Overdose Nebraska social media platforms.