Primary Care Connect held its third annual End Overdose event
By Aaron Cordy
THERE have been 2,000 fatal overdoses in Australia for the 10th year in a row. In 2023, 2,272 lost their lives to drugs, significantly more than the 1,315 who tragically lost their lives on Australian roads.
The visceral impact of a car crash is hard to ignore, so receives the deserved national attention, but the silent loss of life due to overdoses is much easier to gloss over, despite the devastating number of Australians taken each year.
Tuesday, August 26, Primary Care Connect held its third annual End Overdose event to help end the stigma attached to overdose, as well as provide a safe and nurturing space for people to remember, honour and mourn their loved ones lost to overdose.
Over 70 community members, service providers and stakeholders attended the event, held in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day, which is observed on August 31 globally each year.
Shara Scott, Media and Communications Coordinator for Primary Care Connect and founder of the event in 2023, was pleased with the support received from the community.
“Our End Overdose event has grown year on year since its inception, and we are so proud and happy that it has resonated with community so much. This year we saw a big increase in the numbers of community members coming along to leave a tribute and honour their loved ones. It’s also a perfect opportunity for connection between service providers,” said Shara.
