August 24, 2026
Media Contacts: Tes La Dieu, Public Information Officer, 757-594-7411,
taylor.ladieu@vdh.virginia.gov
Free International Overdose Awareness Day Event Brings Community Together
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Overdose continues to affect every community. Yet it can be prevented. International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), which falls on August 31, is a day to take action on overdose. The theme for this year “25 Years On. Still Needed.,” reflects the reality of overdose deaths in the Greater Peninsula Region.
In recognition of IOAD, the Hampton & Peninsula Health Districts (HPHD) are hosting a free event on Monday, August 31, in partnership with the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board, Love the Tree of Life Clinic, the Newport News CARe Team, the Heart of Giving, Abu Unity Foundation, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, and Restore Me.
The event, which will be held at the Love the Tree of Life Clinic from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., will be an opportunity for the public to receive free resources, such as Narcan, drug testing strips, hygiene items, wound care supplies, household items, and free lunch. The community can also receive training in REVIVE!, which teaches someone how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose using Narcan.
At 11 a.m., the event will pause for remarks on the impact of overdoses in the community and include a moment of silence for the lives lost due to substance use.
“This year’s theme for International Overdose Awareness Day, ’25 Years On. Still Needed,’ is in alignment with our own work in the community,” said Tes La Dieu, HPHD’s community health improvement manager. At the height of the epidemic in 2022, the all-drug overdose death rates in the cities of Hampton and Newport News were 33.2 per 100,000 and 38.5 per 100,000, respectively. As of 2025, the all-drug overdose death rate for the City of Hampton was 14 per 100,000, and the all-drug overdose death rate for the City of Newport News was 17.3 per 100,000. Although we have made great strides in reducing overdose death rates, we still have work to do.”
Please see the event details below:
- What: International Overdose Awareness Day Event
- When: Monday, August 31, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- Where: Love the Tree of Life Clinic
- 2016 25th St., Newport News, VA 23607
- Who: Everyone is welcome. Registration is not required.
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