Escambia County Acknowledges International Overdose Awareness Day

Escambia County observes Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, as International Overdose Awareness Day. The day raises awareness of overdose, one of the world’s worst public health crises, and stimulates action and discussion about evidence-based overdose prevention and drug policy.

As of Aug. 31, Escambia County EMS has responded to 1,391 overdose calls in 2022. Daily, EMS responds to an average of 5.72 overdoses. To further stress the significant increase in overdoses, Escambia County surpassed the 2021 total for overdose calls within the first six months of the year. 

"Overdose is everywhere," said EMS Chief David Torsell III. "In the United States, overdose deaths have increased by 30% from 2019 to 2020. There were approximately 107,000 deaths in the United States from overdose in 2021. We are no exception in Escambia County. We need to recognize, without stigma, the issue in our community and do everything we can to assist those struggling with addiction."

International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind.

According to the campaign's website, International Overdose Awareness Day spreads the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and that drug overdose is preventable.

The goals of International Overdose Awareness Day are:

• To provide an opportunity for people to publicly mourn loved ones in a safe environment, some for the first time without feeling guilt or shame.
• To include the greatest number of people in International Overdose Awareness Day events, and encourage non-denominational involvement.
• To give community members information about the issue of fatal and non-fatal overdose.
• To send a strong message to current and former people who use drugs that they are valued.
• To stimulate discussion about overdose prevention and drug policy.
• To provide basic information on the range of support services that are available.
• To prevent and reduce drug-related harm by supporting evidence-based policy and practice.
• To inform people around the world about the risk of overdose.

In January 2022, Escambia County EMS launched the EMS Dashboard in an effort to provide the citizens of Escambia County with a broader and clearer view of the services provided by ECEMS and Emergency Communications. The dashboard features weekly updates on overdose responses in Escambia County. The EMS Dashboard can be located on the Escambia County EMS Dashboard website and on the Escambia County EMS main webpage.

Click here to learn more about International Overdose Awareness Day.