Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge and Steve Rummler HOPE Network Turn Minnesota Purple for International Overdose Awareness Day

Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge and Steve Rummler HOPE Network Turn Minnesota Purple for International Overdose Awareness Day

Event calls for an end to overdose deaths in Minnesota

WHO: Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge and the Steve Rummler HOPE Network are teaming up to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day in Minnesota. International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event to raise awareness about overdoses, reduce the stigma around drug-related deaths and remember those lost to addiction.

WHAT: Together, Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge and the Steve Rummler HOPE Network will share information around overdoses in Minnesota, demonstrate how to use life-saving naloxone at the Minnesota State Fair, and ensure the community is aware of the resources that are available for people struggling with substance use. The two organizations also ask that the community help mark the day by lighting the Twin Cities up in purple and by following along on social media.

WHEN: Tuesday, Aug. 31

WHY: Substance use continues to be a growing problem in the U.S., especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overdose deaths rose nearly 30 percent in 2020 to a record 93,000, the largest single-year increase recorded. Minnesota has not been spared. More than 1,000 Minnesotans died from an overdose in 2020, a 27 percent increase from the year prior.

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