On Wednesday, several local agencies will be handing out Narcan kits and potential life-saving information in observance of Ohio Overdose Awareness Day, which is held on Aug. 31.

According to a release from the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, the goal of the day is raising awareness, supporting communities in the fight against drug addiction, and remembering loved ones lost to the epidemic.

In Delaware County, the board will be partnering with Drug-Free Delaware, a community coalition working to reduce substance abuse among youth in Delaware County, and the Delaware Public Health District to host an event by the Ohio Wesleyan University’s Hamilton Williams Campus Center atrium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Drug-Free Delaware and the Health District will be providing Narcan kits as part of the Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) network with the Ohio Department of Health, and the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health and Recovery Services Board is assisting with a public information campaign highlighting Overdose Awareness Day and recognizing September as Recovery Month in Ohio.

The board reported that in 2020, more than 5,000 Ohioans died from unintentional drug overdoses, which was the leading cause of injury death in the state. Locally, the Health District reports that there were 30 total overdose deaths in the county in 2020. The district reports that 19 of the deaths were men and 11 were women. Also, 29 deaths involved an opiate, 25 of the deaths involved fentanyl, and 15 of the individuals had more than one drug in their system at the time of their deaths.