La Red Goes Purple community event slated Oct. 15

La Red Health Center announced its La Red Goes Purple event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 21444 Carmean Way, Georgetown. All are welcome.

The event aims to raise awareness of substance use disorder in Delaware, particularly opioid use disorder. Last year, 338 Delawareans died of accidental drug overdoses, making it the second leading cause of death in the state, behind natural causes, according to the 2024 Delaware Division of Forensic Science Annual Report.

“More people died from drug overdoses in our state than traffic accidents and suicides combined,” said Rachel Hersh, La Red CEO. “While the number of overdose deaths in Delaware has slowed in the last two years, there is still far more work to be done. La Red wants to lead the way by offering community members lifesaving Narcan, connection to care and resources in the community.”

This free event will bring together more than 50 local community resource partners offering information and support across a wide range of services, including healthcare, behavioral health, housing, nutrition, family support, employment resources and physical therapy.

“It can be difficult to navigate the complexities of SUD and access all of the resources that someone needs to get their life back,” said John Russum, La Red behavioral health administrator. “We want people to leave this event with the information and the help they need to do just that.”

This annual event is coordinated by La Red Health Center’s Behavioral Health Team as part of an effort to raise awareness of the importance of community and available resources during Substance Use & Misuse Prevention Month.

Attendees will be able to speak directly with representatives from participating organizations, pick up helpful materials, and receive free Narcan and training on its use. Narcan can reverse an opioid overdose and potentially save a life.

To learn more, go to laredhealthcenter.org/events.org.