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Contra Costa Board recognizes International Overdose Awareness Day; coalition cites overdose decline but ongoing local impacts
Summary
April Rovaro and Fia Helene told the board that national overdose deaths in 2023 totaled about 105,007 and that Contra Costa County had 178 overdose deaths in 2023; presenters described naloxone distribution, rescue training and local events marking IOAD.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 5 recognized International Overdose Awareness Day and heard from community organizers about local overdose trends and prevention efforts.
April Rovaro, founder of the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse and a founder of the Contra Costa Meds Coalition, told the board that nationally there were 105,007 overdose deaths in 2023. She said Contra Costa County recorded 178 overdose deaths in 2023, along with 407 emergency‑department visits and 127 hospitalizations related to opioid overdoses. Rovaro cited preliminary CDC data showing an approximate 24% decline in overdoses between Oct. 2023 and Sept. 2024 (about 87,000 overdoses in that 12‑month span) and credited community education on fentanyl, treatment expansion and naloxone distribution for some progress.
Fia Helene, coordinator for the Contra Costa County Meds Coalition, emphasized that younger people are increasingly exposed to counterfeit drugs and urged compassion in discussions of substance use disorder; she invited supervisors and community members to local trainings and IOAD remembrance events, including gatherings in Martinez, Berkeley and Concord and naloxone and test‑strip distribution.
Chair and supervisors thanked the presenters and invited them for photographs with the board. The presentation was a recognition and did not include new county policy or a related vote at the meeting.
