CLEARFIELD – The community is being invited to a Rally Against Drug Overdose and Addiction to be held on Saturday, Sept. 2 in downtown Clearfield.
The event will begin at 11 am at the Riverwalk Amphitheater with a vigil for lost loved ones.
Participants will then walk in solidarity to Lower Witmer Park, located at 2 E. Locust St., where there will be agency and food vendors, speakers and music.
Clearfield EMS will provide training on the administration of Narcan at 12 p.m.
At 2:45 p.m., the rally will proceed to the Clearfield County Courthouse and participants will hear from local elected officials and community members.
The rally will finish at Lower Witmer park with musical entertainment by Temptation Alley.
Vendors and agencies will set up at 10 a.m. at Lower Witmer Park. Anyone interested in being a participating partner should e-mail: rallyagainstdrugoverdose@gmail.com.
Drug overdose and addiction has remained a problem for many families in Clearfield County.
Clearfield Jefferson Drug and Alcohol Commission identified 18 overdose deaths in 2022.
Jeremy Ruffner, of Clearfield County Emergency Management, states that local EMS have responded to approximately 10 calls for overdose emergencies each month this year.
Furthermore, Ruffner explained that emergency services responded to 234 suicides so far this year, many of which were drug-related.
Families in rural communities often suffer alone while addiction is stigmatized and criminalized. The organizers of the Rally Against Drug Overdose and Addiction hope to educate, provide resources and gather as a community to make changes necessary to manage and prevent substance use disorders.
