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Mayor and council proclaim Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day; recognize VARP's recovery services
Summary
The council issued a proclamation designating Aug. 31, 2025, as International Overdose Awareness Day in San Bernardino and presented the certificate to representatives of Veterans Alcohol Rehabilitation Program (VARP), recognizing its recovery services and role in local homelessness work.
The mayor and city council proclaimed Aug. 31, 2025, as International Overdose Awareness Day in the City of San Bernardino and presented the proclamation to representatives of the Veterans Alcohol Rehabilitation Program (VARP).
Why it matters: City officials said the proclamation is intended to remember residents lost to overdose and to reduce stigma. The proclamation cited county and statewide overdose statistics and commended VARP for residential treatment, outreach and recovery support in the Inland Empire.
Presentation and remarks VARP representatives James Detman and Ed Bustamante accepted the proclamation and described VARP’s programs, including Gibson House residential treatment and other recovery services operating in the county. Detman said VARP has served the Inland Empire for 50 years and emphasized support for overdose survivors and efforts to address homelessness through partnerships, including interim shelter work funded by an ERF grant for the Waterman Corridor encampment cleanup.
Acknowledgments Council thanked VARP for its community work and recognized the impact of overdose on families. The proclamation noted county statistics on overdose deaths and expressed the council’s commitment to reduce the toll of overdose and to support prevention and recovery services.
No vote was required; the proclamation was presented as an item on the agenda.
