LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Within the struggle towards substance misuse and overdose, one factor is evident: Nobody can do it alone.
That is the message behind an occasion at UNLV the place consultants, advocates and former addicts got here collectively to share attainable options.
On Thursday, UNLV hosted its sixth annual Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention Summit at UNLV’s Strip View Pavilion. This 12 months’s sold-out summit is centered on the theme: “Harmonization: A block occasion on the nook of therapeutic and collaboration, the place everybody has a seat on the desk.”
The aim is to share new methods for tackling the overdose disaster and discover revolutionary options to avoid wasting lives in Southern Nevada.
“We always say the opposite of addiction is connection. We want to make sure we’re building that community so they don’t lose that connection,” Katarina Pulver of the Southern Nevada Well being District mentioned.
The occasion was hosted by the Southern Nevada Well being District and Nevada Institute for Kids’s Analysis and Coverage. The matters mentioned ranged from stopping overdoses in emergency departments to launching the Southern Nevada Submit Overdose Response Program.
Sean O’ Donnell, govt director for the Basis for Restoration, began utilizing substances when he was simply 14. It led to him being homeless, dwelling in his automobile.
“For me, treatment was the shortest and most expensive part of my recovery journey. For all of the years that followed these programs, it’s been a community of loving people who have supported me forward,” O’ Donnell mentioned.
This summit additionally gives a useful alternative to look at the wants of people and households affected by substance use.
Steven Markley with the Northern Nevada Hurt Discount Alliance is a former addict who was as soon as dwelling within the tunnels of Las Vegas. Markely mentioned extra funding is required for outreach groups and hurt discount.
“These programs are really good in terms of cutting down the spread of infections. Hepatitis C is raging here in the city,” Markley mentioned.
In accordance with The Related Press, overdose deaths dropped nationally in 2024 by practically 27%, the most important drop in many years.
Nevertheless, that was not the case for Nevada, which noticed a small uptick. Overdose deaths elevated about 0.5%, with a pointy 31% enhance in overdose fatalities between January 2023 and January 2024.
