#ENDOVERDOSE awareness walk moved to virtual format

The Whitley County Health Department moved its End Overdose Awareness Walk from in-person to a virtual event due to both weather and COVID rates.

The walk was scheduled for Aug. 31, on International Overdose Awareness Day.

Harm Reduction Case Manager Kelsee Dewees said several groups were expected to set up at NIBROC Park on Tuesday to provide information about overdose awareness.

The health department planned to also distribute Narcan at the event. Narcan, also known as Naloxone, is an FDA approved treatment for overdose. It keeps the opioid from connecting with receptors in the brain, said Dewees.

She said that she thinks it is important for everyone to know how to use Narcan even if the individual does not use opioids.

Because the walk is virtual, individuals can receive Narcan and information from the Whitley County Health Department in Corbin on Mondays and Wednesdays and from the Williamsburg office on Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For those who registered for the event, shirts can be picked up at the health department from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Kentucky has seen a big increase in overdoses since the pandemic especially,” said Dewees. “This year, as a whole, we have seen a 49 percent increase in overdoses.”

Despite the walk being virtual, the route is still marked in downtown Corbin. It begins and ends at Sanders Park. To begin the walk, begin at Sanders Park and walk south on Main Street past Hardees.

Continue walking south and turn left at 7^th Street. Take another left onto Depot Street and continue straight until you reach Sanders Park on the left.

Along the route are individuals and families’ stories of how they have been impacted by overdoses.

There are several stops along the route for selfie or photo opportunities. The health department encourages participants to post their photos on Facebook with the hashtag #ENDOVERDOSE.

On the health department’s Facebook page, Tonya Hall shares her experience about losing her son to an overdose.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a worldwide event, said Dewees.

“It was created for those who have lost their lives to an overdose, for family members to remember their loved ones and remember without stigmatizing them and their loved ones,” said Dewees.

Some of the goals of the event are to provide the public time to mourn and create community awareness.