This week marks International Overdose Awareness Day.
Roanoke Valley Collective Response is sponsoring an event to mark the 25th anniversary of International Overdose Awareness Day. And Roanoke's Wells Fargo Tower will be illuminated in purple on Wednesday and Monday to spread awareness.
Virginia has been ravaged by the rise of synthetic opioids, which led to a surge of overdose deaths throughout the 2000s. Those numbers fell 23%from 2024 to 2025, but nearly 1,200 Virginians still died from overdoses last year.
"Losing someone is already tragic enough, but losing someone to an overdose is still really riddled in stigma," says Bailey Medeiros, director of Roanoke Valley Collective Response. "So what we hope is we create a space for the community to grieve as they should be able to. It's also sort of this moment to memorialize people that we've lost in this community to a really tragic event. It's really significant to pause and recognize that."
A memorial wall and tribute slideshow honor those individuals lost to overdose over the past year. The event also features more than 30 resources, including behavioral health, prevention, housing and recovery.
"We have folks that come who've experienced overdose themselves," says
Medeiros. "And that room is filled with hope as well. It's filed with recovery and community wellness, and that is something that is absolutely priceless."
The event to observe International Overdose Awareness Day takes place 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Roanoke's Taubman Museum of Art. International Overdose Awareness Day will also be observed on Monday, August 31.
