It provides a wide-range of support programmes for adults, young people and diverse communities, including detox and rehab, mental health, rough sleeping, employment and sexual health.
International Overdose Awareness Day brings a global community together to take action on overdose. The theme for this year is 25 Years On. Still Needed.
For 25 years, International Overdose Awareness Day has brought people together to remember those lost to overdose and to take action to save lives.
Overdose continues to affect every community. Yet it can be prevented by reducing risk and keeping people safe. By speaking openly, learning from one another, and treating each other with care and respect, the aim is to build a world where fewer lives are lost.
Turning Point teams will host a number of informative and engaging events aimed at promoting the support available to residents, reducing stigma, and encouraging healthier life choices.
There will be pop-up sessions in community settings to share harm reduction advice, raise awareness of overdose, and highlight the Click and Deliver naloxone service to members of the public. Naloxone is a fast-acting medication used to reverse effects of opioid overdose.
Turning Point services run a Click & Deliver programme that sees naloxone kits delivered to people at a location of their choice.
Nathan, a Recovery Worker at Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership, which is led by Turning Point in partnership with Double Impact and Framework, has used naloxone six times. Ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day, he stressed that training and access to naloxone should be widespread.
Nathan recalled the first time he administered naloxone, there was no time to think and that his training 'simply took over'.
“The moment I found the person, my training just kicked in straight away. I gave him two injections, and after a bit, he came around” he said.
“It wasn’t scary until after the adrenaline calmed down, that’s when you start thinking back over everything, wondering if you did it all right. But it worked, I remembered everything from my training and a life was saved.
“If I hadn’t had naloxone with me, the outcome would have been completely different. That’s exactly why training and access is so important”.
As part of International Overdose Awareness Day, local councils will take part in activities such as overdose awareness and naloxone training.
Turning Point staff will take part in the Wear it Purple campaign, with purple being the colour for International Overdose Awareness Day. They will wear something purple to stand in solidarity with people they may have lost to an overdose, those who have experienced an overdose and families and friends impacted by overdose.
Teams will be sharing purple ribbons, badges, and 'I am naloxone trained' stickers with staff, clients, partners, friends and family members. They will also hand out resources on overdose risks and handing out naloxone kits.
Services will have remembrance trees and books where staff, clients, partners, friends and family members, can leave a message in memory of a loved impacted by overdose.
Service buildings such as in Leicester and local buildings in other areas like the Wakefield Exchange will be lit purple as a tribute to the lives lost and a call to action.
Mary Hall, Consultant in Public Health at Leicester City Council, said:
“International Overdose Awareness Day gives us a great opportunity to promote the excellent work carried out in Leicester to reduce and prevent deaths from overdose.
“This year, council staff, including the public health team, will be able to access training by Turning Point on a hugely important part of overdose prevention - using and giving naloxone.
“This is a great example of our longstanding commitment to reducing such preventable deaths and we look forward to a similarly sustained and ongoing approach in the future."
Jennifer Peckett, Operations Manager at Turning Point’s Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea service, said:
“We know that overdose is preventable and that harm reduction saves lives. International Overdose Awareness Day provides an opportunity to increase understanding, challenge stigma and encourage people to access support.
“At Turning Point, we are committed to providing accessible, confidential and person-centred support. Our teams work with individuals to understand their circumstances, reduce risk and develop practical strategies that promote safety and wellbeing.
“No matter where someone is on their journey, we want them to know that help is available, recovery is possible, and it is never too early or too late to seek support.”
To find out more about International Overdose Awareness Day, and to get involved, click here.