Steve Rummler HOPE Network Honors Overdose Awareness Day in Minnesota

Steve Rummler HOPE Network Honors Overdose Awareness Day in Minnesota

The Nonprofit Looks to Shine a Light on Overdose Deaths by Lighting Minneapolis in Purple

MINNEAPOLIS (August 25, 2020) — August 31 has been recognized as International Overdose Awareness Day, a global event to raise awareness that overdose death is preventable and to reduce the stigma associated with drug-related death. This year, the Steve Rummler HOPE Network is seeking to bring awareness to this ongoing crisis by lighting up the city of Minneapolis in purple — the awareness color for drug overdose and the opioid crisis — on August 31. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that those who have lost a loved one or are currently struggling with addiction know that they haven’t been forgotten.

According to preliminary data published by the Minnesota Department of Health, drug overdose deaths increased 20% from 2018 to 2019 in the state of Minnesota. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department has reported spikes in opioid overdoses over the past four months, including at least 50 fatalities. While COVID-19 has dominated the news cycle, the opioid epidemic and its tragic consequences here in Minnesota have silently fallen to the background of the headlines.

The Network has thus far arranged for the 35W bridge to be lit in purple on the evening of August 31, 2020 and is continuing to gather support and reach out to businesses, state departments, and city and state government to meet their goal of seeing every major bridge, building, and landmark in Minneapolis show support of International Overdose Awareness Day.

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Click here for a PDF of this press release.