WVU Medicine Healthy Minds honors International Overdose Awareness Day

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Local communities in North Central West Virginia and around the world will come together on International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) to honor lives lost and educate their families, friends, and peers on overdose prevention.   

Observed annually on Aug. 31, International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind. 

At dusk on Wednesday, Aug. 27, WVU Medicine Healthy Minds – Clarksburg will host a public candlelight vigil to honor those who have died and support families and survivors at the Uptown Event Center in downtown Clarksburg. 

Earlier in the week, Healthy Minds hosted a community recognition ceremony using art and reflection to commemorate those lost to overdose. 

As part of this observance, Healthy Minds has once again planted hundreds of purple pinwheels at its Chestnut Ridge facility, one for every West Virginian who died of overdose in the past year. 

“A large part of the mission of Overdose Awareness Day is to raise awareness on what an overdose is and the ways to prevent them in our communities,” said Michael Reynolds, M.D., addiction medicine specialist at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute’s Healthy Minds — Chestnut Ridge. “We want to empower people to be aware of how they can help if they spot an overdose, and for people who use substances to understand how to prevent them.”  

Although West Virginia still leads the nation in overdose deaths, progress is being made. According to the CDC, overdose deaths in the state dropped nearly 50 percent from 2021 to 2024, with 766 lives lost last year compared to more than 1,500 at the height of the crisis. 

Each year, during the week of IOAD, WVU Medicine Healthy Minds — Clarksburg staff and peer recovery coaches provide free naloxone (Narcan), fentanyl test strips, CPR face shields, and resource information throughout downtown Clarksburg. They also recognize local first responders with certificates of appreciation for their frontline role in saving lives. 

Warning signs of an opioid overdose include extreme sleepiness, slowed or stopped breathing, and unresponsiveness. The first steps if an overdose is suspected are to call 911 and administer naloxone, which can be sprayed into the nose and works within minutes to reverse the effects. 

“Addiction doesn’t respect any barriers. It affects, on average, one in 10 people regardless of income, race, religion, or background,” said Dr. Reynolds. “This is happening all around us, so the sooner we recognize that this is a part of our human experience in 2025, the sooner we are to really getting treatment accepted.” 

Dr. Reynolds shares insight into the ongoing crisis and solutions in Overdoes Awareness: Epidemic Improving But Crisis Not Over, a recent episode of the Live Healthy WV podcast. In the episode, he discusses the rise of fentanyl, the importance of naloxone access, and how WVU Medicine’s addiction treatment and recovery programs are offering hope to patients and families. 

A full list of IOAD 2025 events can be found here. 

About Live Healthy WV  

Live Healthy WV, a podcast presented by WVU Medicine, aims to help everyone live a better, healthier life in West Virginia and beyond. Find the latest episodes of Live Healthy WV on the MetroNews website or on the MetroNews Television app, in addition to other popular streaming services.