The Guilford County Division of Public Health and the City of Greensboro’s Community Safety Department will honor International Overdose Awareness Day 2025 by hosting a H.O.P.E. event (Harm Reduction, Overdose Awareness, Prevention and Education) at Next Door Beer Bar and Bottle Shop, 505 N. Greene St., Greensboro from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 28.
Participants will have the opportunity to receive naloxone training and learn about overdose prevention resources and sexual health resources. Food trucks will be on-site for the event, which also includes music and door prizes.
International Overdose Awareness Day has been observed annually in August since 2001. The theme for 2025 is "One big family, driven by hope."
“International Overdose Awareness Day gives us the opportunity to remember lives lost, support grieving families and strengthen our commitment to preventing further tragedy in Guilford County,” said Amanda Clark, drug and injury prevention manager, Guilford County Division of Public Health. “This year’s event brings our community together to learn, grieve and heal. We are offering no-cost naloxone, prevention tools and a supportive space to talk about the realities of substance use.”
“The City’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program gives Greensboro Police Department officers a way to divert people whose offenses stem from addiction into support services instead of the justice system,” said Mary Houser, LEAD coordinator with the Greensboro Community Safety Department. “International Overdose Awareness Day reminds us why this option matters. Every connection we make has the potential to save a life.”
For more information about the H.O.P.E. event, contact Amanda Clark at GOPEC@guilfordcountync.gov.