ARLINGTON — The Arlington Department of Health and Human Services would like to invite the community to attend a candlelight vigil, held in partnership with the Calvary Church, in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day.
International Overdose Awareness Day, observed on Aug. 31, is a day to honor and remember those who have lost their lives to fatal drug or alcohol overdose. The Department of Health and Human Services will hold a vigil from 7:15-8:15 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Calvary Church, 300 Massachusetts Ave., in recognition of the day.
The vigil was organized by the Health and Human Services’ Prevention Services Division, which was formed to build on a long history of addiction recovery work in the community.
“There is a lot of existing work going on in the community, and I am excited to help centralize it and build on available services,” said Anna Martin, the newly hired Prevention Services Manager. “We hope to see the candlelight vigil bring our community together, so we can honor and remember those who we have lost and know that we are not alone in this fight.”
In addition to the vigil, a more formal town forum is scheduled to take place at the Arlington Town Hall on Thursday, Sept. 28, from 6-7:30 p.m., where Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan will speak to the impact of opioids and other drugs in Massachusetts. Residents will also hear from town employees, including Prevention Services Manager Martin and Director of Health and Human Services Christine Bongiorno about what is being done in Arlington.
The town forum will also include an overview of the town’s funding plans for the $1.2 million in opioid settlement funds it will be receiving from various opioid producers and distributors over the next 15 years to help mitigate the impact that the opioid crisis has had on the town, with opportunities for feedback and Q&A.
Other Prevention Services initiatives include strengthening youth prevention efforts with the schools, collaborating with the Arlington Police Department for information sharing, and expanding the resources that the Health Department can offer. Currently, residents can access Narcan and training free of charge from the Health Department, as well as fentanyl and xylazine testing strips.
If community members would like to access Narcan, fentanyl test strips, or xylazine test strips for any reason, they can walk into the Health Department, 27 Maple St., Floor 2, during business hours, call 781-316-3193, or email amartin@town.arlington.ma.us to arrange a time for pickup.
Those looking for more information on the vigil or any other Prevention Services division initiatives should contact Prevention Services Manager Anna Martin at amartin@town.arlington.ma.us.
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