Mayor Hall read a proclamation designating late August as Overdose Awareness Day in Newark and city staff announced a free community event that organizers say will offer resources for families affected by addiction. The proclamation, read during the council meeting, declared “Sunday, 08/31/2025 as Overdose Awareness Day in Newark, Ohio.”

The proclamation said the day is intended to "raise public awareness, and to remember the lives lost in the epidemic," and highlighted efforts to expand access to naloxone and addiction treatment. "Overdose awareness is critically important in Newark, Ohio," the proclamation read.

City staff who followed the mayor's remarks told the council the local Overdose Awareness event will be held Aug. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m., will include speakers from Recovery Ohio and the governor's office, and will feature participation from Denison University social workers focused on prevention. A staff member said the event will be free, will include food and a balloon release "to honor those that have died to substance use disorder or mental health," and invited the public to attend.

The items described at the meeting were presented as community outreach rather than as actions requiring council approval. No ordinance or funding appropriation tied specifically to the proclamation was introduced during the meeting.

City officials and council members encouraged public participation in the event and asked staff to share details via city channels. The proclamation and event details were shared during the meeting as advisory and informational to residents.