The District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES), with the D.C. Health Alliance Network, commemorated International Overdose Awareness Day, observed on Aug. 31 every year, with a community event to connect with District youth.
The event offered resources, tools, and warnings against the risks of drug abuse and destructive life choices.
Held on the Minnesota Avenue corridor in the DOES building, the International Overdose Awareness Day program presented a group of community leaders who shared their insight and mentorship with attendees. They stressed the importance of making viable decisions as youth navigate life and societal pressures that often lead to substance abuse disorders in the District.
Keynote speakers: Chris Thomas from Million Man Vote, and Prince Hamm from Making A Difference (M.A.D) organizations opened the event to educate youth on the fanger opioid addiction and how surrounding influences can heavily impact their decisions.
Likewise, Dr. Michael W. Nettles, a licensed counselor and national certified addiction counselor, discussed the challenges urban youth face within the District. He highlighted the prevalence of risk factors that often influence the negative outcomes for local youth.
“Living in a … city like D.C., with risk factors all over the place, that’s the biggest thing these kids have to deal with,” said Nebbett. “There’s a lot of stuff these urban kids [are exposed to]. Liquor stores within the block, dope dealers behind the house, shootings everywhere. All of those things are factors.”
One of the most profound highlights of the program was the student debate, as District youth members of the Children’s Legacy Theater Inc (CLT), passionately argued their perspectives on the local opioid crisis, particularly as it pertains to the impact that poverty and the government play in the tumultuous issue.
Jackie Carter, founder and executive director of CLT, shared the students research and learning process prior to the big event.
“One of the things that we’ve been doing is researching the history of opioids and fentanyl and how it was used historically,” Jack Carter shared with Ambrose Lane on the To The East radio program. “[Also], debating the choices we make and how it gets into the community. So, we’ve been examining, is it caused by poverty, government or choice?”
During 2023, the opioid epidemic ravished underserved communities throughout the city. The Chief Medical Examiner’s report, detailing the city’s opioid-related fatal overdoses, reported 518 opioid-related deaths in the District, a 12% increase in fatalities from 2022.
While fentanyl has become a deadly agent penetrating the open-air drug market across the District, xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer that has been increasingly found in various illicit drug supplies, was also found in 15 of the 518 opioid-related deaths last year.
Local advocates and community organizations fear that without proper intervention and access to viable health resources, overdose numbers can continue to soar into higher records as the year progresses.
Carter, having lost two of her neighbors due to opioid overdoses, has witnessed the harmful effects when losing community members due to the harrowing crisis.
“It’s absolutely, positively devastating. … We try as best we can to get the appropriate support for them from within the community,” said Carter. “That’s one wonderful thing I want to say about Ward 8. There are a lot of branches that offer our young people support. We are a family, and so the young people have that support and outlet that helps them cope with what they’re going through.”
Ambrose Lane Jr., chair and founder of D.C.’s Health Alliance Network, has been a long-standing advocate against the opioid crisis across the District, touting for resources and support to combat the fatal crisis largely affecting underserved communities across the city. He told The Informer he was encouraged by the youth engagement at the event.
“It was a really great program. We had more enthusiasm from the youth this year than during the event the year before,” said Lane.