International Overdose Awareness Day is a global recognition aimed at raising awareness of one of the world’s most urgent public health crises and reducing the stigma of a drug-related death

(PRUnderground) August 27th, 2025

Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Regional Hospital, in partnership with Mesa County Opioid Response Group, will build a memorial flag display at Lincoln Park in Grand Junction, Colo. on Tuesday, Sept. 2 to commemorate International Overdose Awareness Day.

The awareness day is a global recognition aimed at raising awareness of one of the world’s most urgent public health crises and reducing the stigma of a drug-related death.

Community members are encouraged to visit the 1,603 flags displayed at Lincoln Park in remembrance of the Colorado lives lost to drug overdose in 2024. Among the purple flags, 34 white flags will be specifically dedicated to those who have died in Mesa County, which reflects a decrease from 43 in 2023.

Representatives from various community organizations which are part of Mesa County Opioid Response Group will provide information and resources to help individuals and families who might be affected by drug dependence.

Across Colorado, 61% of the overdose deaths in 2024 involved an opioid (981). This is a decrease from 2023 when 72% of all overdoses in the state were influenced by an opioid.

“While Colorado and other parts of the country have experienced a decrease in overdoses this year, about 14%, Mesa County’s overdose rate has been one of the highest in the state reaching 25.9 per 100,000 since 2000,” said Ryan Jackman, MD, medical director, Intermountain Health Grand Junction Integrated Addiction Medicine Clinic. “Over the same time our emergency department visits for nonfatal overdose remain 25% higher than the state average.”

In 2024 Mesa County had 36 deaths in which substances were involved, Dr. Jackman said. Twenty-five percent of those deaths included fentanyl, but 53% included methamphetamine. There were 62 separate deaths in which acute or chronic alcohol was deemed the cause of death, nearly double the overdose rate.

“This highlights the continued need for raising awareness in Mesa County about substance use, substance use disorder, and overdose which include accidental poisoning from fentanyl. This year’s International Overdose Awareness Day display will aim to do just that by allowing people to honor those we’ve lost and drawing increased attention to a very treatable condition and the resources and efforts being made in Mesa County to do just that,” Dr. Jackman said.

Grand Junction Integrated Addiction Medicine Clinic has been working to increase treatment for substance use disorders. The clinic provides individuals with outpatient treatment options for substance use disorders, including medication for substance use disorders, naloxone, management of co-occurring mental health conditions, along with individual and group therapy. has been working to increase treatment for substance use disorders. The clinic provides individuals with outpatient treatment options for substance use disorders, including medication for substance use disorders, naloxone, management of co-occurring mental health conditions, along with individual and group therapy.

In 2025, the clinic moved to St. Mary’s Regional Hospital at 2643 Patterson Road, Suite 603.

The clinic partners with the Colorado Health Network and Colorado Health Institute to improve access to opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery. The clinic also works closely with regional partners across the Western Slope including Mesa County Opioid Resource Group, the Women’s Recovery Center, the Mesa County Department of Human Services, and the divisions of probation and parole to ensure individuals receive coordinated care and services.

Grand Junction Integrated Addiction Medicine can be reached at 970-298-3801, or by visiting Grand Junction Integrated Addiction Medicine Clinic online People can also call the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

While the awareness day is recognized on Aug. 31 every year, it falls on a Sunday this year and will be commemorated on Sept. 2, with multiple events organized by community partners. Media are invited to attend any of the events below commemorating this day.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/.

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Original Press Release.