On Monday, the City Council proclaimed August International Overdose and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month. The numbers of opioid deaths, though generally down from the spike during the COVID-19 …
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On Monday, the City Council proclaimed August International Overdose and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month.
The numbers of opioid deaths, though generally down from the spike during the COVID-19 Pandemic, remain high.
Last year, 994 Minnesotans died of overdoses, with more than 60% of those deaths involving Fentanyl.
Last year there were four overdose deaths in Hastings.
Due to the proliferation of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl as well as and fentanyl-laced substances, even those not intending on taking the drug can overdose on it.
“Most fentanyl-related deaths are due to individuals unknowingly consuming fentanyl-laced substances, including counterfeit pills and other street drugs, underscoring the urgent need for public education and awareness,” said the proclamation.
“This proclamation is more than a formality; it is a powerful acknowledgement. It honors the families in our community that carry the daily pain of losing a loved one to this crisis. Your voices, your grief, and your courage matter,” said Bridgette Norring founder of the Devin J. Norring Foundation.
Devin Norring was a Hastings high school senior who died from an overdose after taking a pill bought on Snapchat that he believed to be Percocet for pain from a cracked molar. The pill was actually illicitly manufactured fentanyl which killed Devin.
Since then, Bridgette Norring and her husband Tom Norring, founded the Devin J. Norring Foundation to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
“Now is the time to learn the learning signs of substance misuse, talk openly with your children, understand the dangers of counterfeit pills and laced substances and also educate yourselves on the role social media is playing in this crisis […] Don’t be afraid to have the hard conversations because it could save a life,” said Norring.
The foundation will be hosting the fifth annual Overdoes and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Day at the Hastings Public House on August 21 from 6-8. The event will feature a resource fair, guest speakers, and tribute to those lost to overdoses and fentanyl poisoning.
