International Overdose Awareness Day is recognized yearly on August 31st.

This year, the Root Center for Advanced Recovery hosted our Annual International Overdose Awareness Day Remembrance Ceremony in our Manchester Memorial Garden.

This year, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 929 overdose deaths. This number was down more than 20% from the year prior, but there is still a lot of work that remains to be done so that no other family has to endure a such a loss.

Every year, during Overdose Awareness Week, Root invites the community to join us as we come together to honor and remember those lost to overdose, and support those still struggling.

The event was held in our Memorial Garden, we began with some brief remarks from Root Leadership, Community Leaders, like Senator Saud Anwar, Senator MD Rahman, and State Representative Geoff Luxenberg. We also heard from a Root Center patient!

Like last year, we put out a handmade box gifted to us by a patient at our Torrington Clinic, who is celebrating two years in recovery. The box is meant to encourage the community to write notes with the provided paper, and leave them in between the stones of our Remembrance Wall. This year, we included a Burning Ceremony in the garden, burning the notes collected last year and allowing the wind to take the ashes and wishes wherever they're meant to be. It was a beautiful display of hope, with the warmth of the fire offering comfort to those impacted by the disease of addiction.

The box will remain out in the garden until 9/2. The public is welcome to stop by to visit, leave a note, and enjoy the serene beautiful sanctuary.

And, as we do every year, we also planted a new plant in the garden, a representation of the growth of recovery. This year's Crape Myrtle was the runner up to the vote we held last year to decide what would be planted. Its pink and purple flowers are a wonderful addition to the garden, and we look forward to watching it thrive for the years to come.

After our ceremony, we distributed free Narcan and fentanyl drug testing strips and offered important education on usage and benefits, which we know can save lives.

For the third year in a row, we also partnered with InterCommunity Health Care to offer a mobile vaccine clinic on-site. This mobile clinic was able to provide primary care, screenings, COVID vaccines, and more, to any who were interested. We know physical health and mental health are equally important, so we appreciated being able to offer this to attendees!

Pictured above (L to R):

Allison Pons, Director of Operations, Ashley Hickey, Chief Operations Officer, Margaux Farrell, Chief of Staff, Aly Fox, Clinical Supervisor

This event is always intended to honor the far too many lives that we have lost to the disease of addiction, and also to raise awareness, promote education, and help the public take advantage of the lifesaving and preventative services.

If you missed it this year, check out the video recap below, and join us next year.

In the meantime, we invite you to stop by our Memorial Garden: 335 Broad Street in Manchester, Ct. Remember, you are never alone.

Root Center would also like to extend a special thanks to our political supporters who spoke at our Remembrance Ceremony. We appreciate these individuals for all of their support to our agency and missions.

Pictured Above (L to R): Steven Zuckerman, Root President/CEO and Senator Saud Anwar

Last but not least, thank you to our media partners, FOX61 News, who included Root Center in their coverage of International Overdose Awareness Day. We appreciate their support in spreading awareness and also honoring the lives lost.