Overdose Awareness Day

Press release:

“Together we can” is the theme for this year’s International Overdose Awareness Day campaign – the annual observance that includes a local event from 3 - 7 p.m. August 28 at Austin Park in Batavia.

The world’s largest annual movement to end overdose, IOAD is dedicated to remembering without stigma those who have died and acknowledging the grief of family and friends left behind.

More than 200 community events have been scheduled across the United States and around the world during the month of August to raise awareness of one of society’s worst public health crises.

Initiated in 2001 by Sally J. Finn at The Salvation Army in St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia, IOAD spreads the message about the tragedy of drug overdose death and that drug overdose is preventable.

Goals of the campaign include:

Providing an opportunity for people to publicly mourn loved ones in a safe environment, some for the first time without feeling guilt or shame.

Including the greatest number of people in IOAD events and encourage non-denominational involvement.

Providing information about the issue of fatal and non-fatal overdose.

Sending a strong message to current and former people who use drugs that they are valued.

The GOW Opioid Task Force ceremony will feature several guest speakers, including Rob Kent, president of Kent Strategic Advisors, LLC, and former general counsel for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Other speakers scheduled include Lynda Battaglia, director of Genesee County Mental Health & Community Services; Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee & Orleans Health Departments; and Chris Budzinack, Supportive Living counselor at UConnectCare.

The event will feature live music, a petting zoo, ice cream truck, bounce house and free pizza and refreshments. Representatives of nonprofit agencies have been invited to set up booths at the park.

For more information about the Austin Park observance, contact Jay Baran at jbaran@uconnectcare.org.

Cheryl Netter and Scott Davis are two of the fortunate ones. They are people who have survived the grip of addiction and have emerged on the other side, now devoting their lives to helping others who are struggling with substance use disorder.

So many others didn’t make it. More than 100,000 in the United States over the past year alone – and nearly 80 Genesee and Orleans County residents who died of a drug overdose over the past four years.

Netter (photo at left) and Davis briefly shared their stories of anguish successful recovery on Wednesday afternoon at the annual Overdose Awareness Day at Austin Park.

The event, organized to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids and to remember those who have succumbed to an overdose, was coordinated by the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force, in conjunction with the National Institute of Health’s HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-Term) Initiative.

Recognized as a community “hope coach,” Netter said she is “an overdose and suicide attempt survivor.”

“Leading up to my (suicide) attempt, much of my struggle and pain I chose not to allow people to see. I spent my younger years masking my way through life, not recognizing or even acknowledging my inner struggles,” she said. “This led me to dabbling with mental health issues, risky behavior, substance use and trying to (commit) suicide. I stand with you today only by the grace of God, and with many years of recovery and I'm able to tell my story in my own voice.”

She quickly shifted her focus off of herself to speak about those who are no longer with us because of drugs.

“We're here and I want to remember and acknowledge those individuals gathered here today, along with their families and friends. Those who aren’t able to tell their story with their own voice due to …losing the struggle of addiction and to talk about the crisis we’re all facing right now.”

Netter encouraged family members and friends to keep the stories of those departed alive.

“We’re sowing seeds of hope and healing, not only in the hearts and lives of others, but also in our own hearts and our own life,” she said. “Strength and recovery can be found by giving a voice to the stories of those who may otherwise go unseen and unheard.”

Davis (photo at right) has been a certified peer recovery advocate for the Rochester Regional Health system for the past two years – a far cry from where he was for most of his adult life while addicted to heroin and fentanyl.

He shared that when his mother died in 2008, his life spiraled out of control, and the result was incarceration, institutions and near death. Eventually, and with the help of medication for opioid use disorder and support from family and friends, Davis pulled himself up, and continues in his recovery.

Two years ago, his brother died from an overdose, a searing pain that he said he is “working through.”

“Every day, there is something that reminds me of him,” he said. “He’s always there with me.”

Other speakers included John Bennett, chief executive officer at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse; Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments, and Dawn Stone, peer advocate at Spectrum Health in Wyoming County.

John Bennett: We’re Working to Save Lives

“You would think that in the year 2023, with all of the people who have come out publicly – all the movie stars and athletes that have come out and talked about their addiction – that the stigma would reduce? But it hasn’t. It’s still there,” Bennett said. “So, I just want to thank all the people here today who are recovery warriors. It’s the work that you guys do every day. The support agencies like GCASA, to support the people in the community, that really make a big difference.”

He mentioned how the agency has grown in recent years from 65 to almost 200 employees and adding needed services such as housing for various groups, childcare, transportation and The Recovery Station social meeting place on Clinton Street Road.

“We also provide services for the homeless, particularly through a homeless housing grant that we recently got,” he said. “We’re going to be working on coming up with transitional housing crisis beds for these folks, where they will have a place to stay for seven to 15 days. Those are hard to find, but we’re working to make those come true.”

Bennett said recovery workers are making a difference by trying to save lives.

“My heart goes out to all of you who have lost a loved one. I can’t imagine the grief and loss. But know that we’re trying to make a difference behind the scenes to help future loss of life,” he said.

Paul Pettit: An ‘Urgent Public Health Threat’

Pettit said that data shows that the opioid epidemic continues to be a “very urgent public health and public safety threat in our communities.”

“Drug overdose deaths continue to be the number one leading cause of injury mortality in the United States,” he said. “It’s been that way for many years now. And unfortunately, it's probably going to continue to be the number one cause of death. It's more than vehicle accidents and other types of injuries.”

More than 100,000 people died by overdose last year in the U.S., he said, adding that since 2019, there have been 56 overdose deaths in Genesee County and 23 overdose deaths in Orleans County.

“That’s 79 individuals that have lost their lives to overdoses that we could have prevented; that we are working to prevent it. And that's why we're here today -- to bring awareness to that and to honor them,” he said.

Pettit credited the GOW Opioid Task Force, a three-county coalition founded in 2017, and the more recent HEALing Genesee initiative for examples of community human services agencies coming together to fight this epidemic. 

“Three areas that we continue to focus on in the community is opioid overdose prevention and education and naloxone (Narcan) distribution … medication for opioid use disorder and linking individuals to treatment, and safer opioid prescribing and dispensing.

Dawn Stone: ‘It Takes a Community’

Noting that she provides support and encouragement for people from the age of 5 to 90, Stone said “it takes a community” to combat the increasing mental health and substance use epidemic.

In recovery for 19 years, she said that 21 people have died due to an overdose in Wyoming County in recent years, with 41 being the average age of those individuals.

“It’s not just young people,” she said. “Substance use affects all ages. We need to ask our elders, ‘Are you OK?’ and offer them the help they need.”

To conclude the program, Brandi Smith of Batavia, who has been in recovery from heroin, fentanyl and cocaine for six years, read a poem, No Hero in Heroin, in memory of her brother, Jason, who died of an overdose.

In part, the poem states, “So alone, so filled with fear, but I kept on swimming, well, drowning in tears; I never gave up, finally said my goodbyes, found beauty in life, without you by my side; You’re part of my past now, no longer a friend, despite you name, there’s no HERO in heroin.”

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for GCASA.

Photos by Steven Ognibene.

Press Release:

The Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force, in conjunction with the National Institute of Health’s HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-Term) Initiative, will be commemorating Overdose Awareness Day next month to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids and to remember the lives of those who have succumbed to an overdose.

The annual event is scheduled for 4 - 7 p.m. on August 30 at Austin Park in Batavia.

Residents are invited to take part in the family-friendly activities – which include face painting and live music courtesy of Groove -- and enjoy free pizza and refreshments.

Narcan (naloxone) training is on the agenda and local health and human services agency representatives will be on hand to provide information on recovery resources, medications for opioid use disorder, and the benefits of staying on medication treatment for people in recovery.

Guest speakers include:

• John Bennett, chief executive officer at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, who will provide updates on substance use treatment programs and lead a moment of silence in memory of those who have died.
• Dawn Stone, a peer advocate from Spectrum Health in Wyoming County, who will discuss the stigma surrounding substance use disorder and steps that are being taken to remove unhealthy perceptions.
• Cheryl Netter, a community “hope coach,” who will share a story of hope and healing.
• Scott Davis, a certified peer recovery advocate for the Rochester Regional Health system, who will share how medication has helped him in his recovery.
• Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments, will share local data and the initiatives that the health department and local partners are implementing to address overdoses.
• Nikki Lang of Batavia, who lost a loved one to an overdose.

Additionally, Lynda Battaglia, director of Genesee County Mental Health & Community Services, and Danielle Figura, director of Community Services at Orleans County Department of Mental Health, are expected to talk about opioid use disorder related to mental health.

Participants will be offered the opportunity to leave a note on the task force’s memory board for a deceased loved one.

Registration is recommended, but not required. To register, go to www.gowopioidtaskforce.org/events.

That’s the way LoCicero, a Batavia resident in his fourth year of recovery, ended his six-minute talk this afternoon at the annual Overdose Awareness Day hosted by the GOW Opioid Task Force at Austin Park. He was able to pack a powerful message into his speech -- reflecting the event’s theme of reducing the stigma attached to addiction and letting people know that help is right around the corner.

Now a case manager at The Recovery Station operated by Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, LoCicero (photo above) shared that changing the perception of himself was key to his road to recovery.

“Today, we're speaking vaguely from a person's point of view that's been afflicted with the disease of addiction, and their capacity to change that perspective,” he said. “Ultimately, what stops the person from this change? And, maybe when someone is scratching at the fronts of their eyes to see themselves follow through with the decision, a change or a commitment, they fall short again, and again, ultimately not feeling as if they could succeed despite the best and most pure of intentions?”

He talked about the agony felt by the person caught up in substance use and for their families. As a result, he said, that person “can die for this or die for change, a desire to feel different -- the very nature of an overdose or instant gratification, and why many of us have gathered here today.”

Upon realization that someone has a problem, LoCicero said it then becomes a matter of perspective – and the change in that perspective can be accelerated by the encouragement from those who care.

“Once perspective may be supported by ‘I’ statements, such as I am, I can't, I won't, I come from this, I'm cut from that cloth, this is my culture, stay in your lane. This will never happen or workout for me,” he said. “But, despite all of that, a person will say to themselves if I just had X, Y and Z, I could do this. If the light could just shine down on me. I could do this and make a difference in my life.

LOVE AND SUPPORT ARE VITAL

“Because it's my life. What X, Y and Z boil down to being mostly in every case is our common and essential needs -- love and care support, personal needs that allow one the opportunity to self-actualize and become their dream.”

LoCicero said that once he saw his life through a different filter – “and put in some effort” – his perspective changed and his life changed “nearly instantly.”

He said his breakthrough to believing in himself has led to a desire to help others do the same thing.

“It’s what we can do for folks, (show that) we care about suffering with the disease of addiction, a disease of a lifestyle, and we can contribute to optimal conditions necessary for growth and opportunity by making folks aware of our want and commitment to help, most importantly, proving to them that it's possible,” he said.

LoCicero said those in attendance representing human services and health agencies want nothing more but to reach out to those struggling with addiction and “have you join the community – your community – or at least to reduce your potential for harm.”

In closing, he shared a three-step approach that pulled him out of bondage.

“If you can put yourself in front of God, you will find a miracle. If you work hard enough and grind hard enough, you may find your cure. If you be yourself, that's the only way you can find change and find happiness. If you do all three of these things, and if you ask for help, undoubtedly you will recover.”

PETTIT: PREVENTING DEATHS ARE A PRIORITY

Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties, (in photo above), applauded the work of the GOW Opioid Task Force, the three-county partnership of agencies that has been is place for the past five years.

“Preventing opioid overdose deaths … is one of the priority goals of the GOW Community Health Improvement Plan,” Pettit said, mentioning that drug overdose is the leading cause of injury mortality in the United States. “The opioid epidemic is an urgent and serious public health and public safety issue.”

Nationally, more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses last year, and worldwide, the number approached 600,000. And, after trending down in 2018 and 2019, the numbers are increasing once again, he said.

“In Genesee County, there were 15 fatal opioid overdoses in 2020 – 15 too many,” Pettit said, “with six in Orleans County and seven in Wyoming County.”

He cited the rise in fentanyl and synthetic opioids and in concurrent stimulant use, especially cocaine.

“The takeaway from this is that people are dying of fentanyl overdoses when they only mean to take cocaine or another stimulant, and might not know they are at risk of an overdose at all,” he said.

BENNETT: OPEN ACCESS TO TREATMENT

GCASA Executive Director John Bennett shared that the Overdose Awareness Day initiative, which was started in Australia in 2001, now is celebrated internationally, with 367 events in the U.S. and around 600 outside of America’s borders.

“It’s an honor for us to be able to present this to our community,” he said. “As I go to the different booths here today, I am hearing people having good conversations with community members. It’s all about reducing the stigma of people with addiction. It's about giving people who've lost loved ones a place to talk about-- without stigma, without shame and without guilt -- in a really kind, positive and friendly zone.”

Bennett pointed the agency’s recently-opened Detox Center on East Main Street as a place “that is already saving lives.”

“We offer open access; you can just walk in and we’ll see you. Just last Thursday, I think we have seven admissions,” he said. “Doing events like this in the community brings awareness. So, my advice is if you need help, there's open access centers all around Western New York. Go to one of them, and they'll get you where you need to be. Or call me. My number is 585-815-1850 and I'll find you a place.”

Other speakers were Christopher Budzinack, a residential counselor at GCASA’s Atwater Community Residence, who spoke about his recovery from addiction and jail time, and Niki Lang, who read a letter and poem written by her son, Jason, who died in 2017 due to substance use disorder.

More than a dozen agencies had booths at the event, including Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans counties, Genesee County Office for the Aging, Batavia Community Schools, Genesee County Mental Health, Genesee Justice, National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, Job Corps, Rochester Regional Health, CORE, Restore, Genesee County Health Department, Oak Orchard Health, Suicide Prevention Coalition, Care-A-Van Ministries, Horizon, Fidelis Care, Molina Healthcare and WNY Heroes (for veterans).

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for GCASA.

The Rev. Vern Saile, pastor of Northgate Free Methodist Church, giving the invocation at Overdose Awareness Day.

"The Groove" belts out covers of classic rock songs -- from left, Joe Gagne, Pete Gomez, Neil Gagne and Bob Smith.

Messages of hope form the pieces of the puzzle at the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence. Erin Egloff, left, and Kaitlyn Mellina provide services in the Finger Lakes region.

Melody McMaster brightens up the day for 8-year-old Avi at the face painting booth.

The team from Rochester Regional Health (parent of United Memorial Medical Center) is ready to share with the public.

Animal attraction in the form of Frega's Funny Farm of Stafford.

Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Press release:

Christopher Budzinack has a straightforward reason for agreeing to speak at next Wednesday’s Overdose Awareness Day: To show those affected by substance use disorder that there is hope and there is help.

“As a person in long-term recovery, I know first-hand how important these services are and I want to help promote them as much as possible,” said Budzinack, a residential counselor at the Atwater Community Residence operated by Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

“It is my hope that someone will leave this event feeling encouraged and inspired to make a change for the better and for the ones who have lost someone to addiction, my hope for them is that they will know they are not alone and there is help for them as well.”

Budzinack, who also serves as a case manager for GCASA’s supportive living program, is one of several people signed up to speak at the annual event, which is set for 4-7 p.m. Aug. 24 at Austin Park in Batavia.

Designed to raise awareness of the opioid epidemic and remember the lives that have been lost due to an overdose, the event is being hosted by the GOW Opioid Task Force.

Task Force Coordinator Christen Foley said attendees are invited to take part in the family-friendly activities – which include face painting and live music -- and enjoy free pizza, refreshments, and ice cream. A Narcan training also is on the agenda and local agencies will have informational tables.

Participants also will be offered the opportunity to leave a note on the task force’s memory board for a deceased loved one.

Other speakers include Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties; John Bennett, GCASA chief executive officer; the Rev. Vern Saile, pastor of Northgate Free Methodist Church, and Jarett LoCicero, case manager at GCASA.

Press release:

As many of you may know, the family, loved ones, and allies of the GOW Opioid Task Force are hard at work planning the first-ever Overdose Awareness Day for the GOW community from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday Aug. 28^th at Austin Park, Batavia.

This event will be a special time for the community to come together to raise awareness, share information, and support each other as a community. We will be having local area speakers, live music, FREE Narcan training, a kid’s zone, and food, and much more!

If you are interested in having a table at the event please complete the Vendor Table Registration Form and send it to Sue Gagne -- Family, Loved Ones, and Allies Work Group co-chair -- by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug.17. Email it to her at: sgagne@gcasa.org

For more information, be sure to visit the website at: www.gowopioidtaskforce.org

We look forward to seeing our communities come together to continue to bring awareness to those in our families and community struggling with substance use disorder.