Blog 8/27/25

Safe Point to Host International Overdose Awareness Day Event in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Saturday, August 30, Equitas Health’s Safe Point program will host a community gathering to honor International Overdose Awareness Day 2025, a global event dedicated to remembering lives lost to overdose and advocating for life-saving harm reduction strategies.

The event will take place from 9 AM to 2 PM at 1267 W. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43222, and will feature memorial arts and crafts, light refreshments, and opportunities to connect with the Safe Point team and learn about volunteer opportunities.

“Overdose Awareness Day isn’t just about remembering who we’ve lost – it’s about protecting the lives that are still here,” said Elizabeth Onzima, Programs Site Manager at Safe Point.

“Harm reduction fully encompasses the needs of a person. It meets them where they’re at.”

Since its founding in 2016, Safe Point has become Central Ohio’s only sanctioned, comprehensive harm reduction initiative. In 2024 alone, the program recorded 8,922 visits, distributed over 1 million sterile syringes, collected 800,000 used syringes, and provided 20,202 doses of naloxone, saving an estimated 2,524 lives.

Safe Point offers a wide range of services, including syringe exchange, wound care, hygiene supplies, food, water, HIV/STI screenings, and overdose prevention tools like fentanyl and xylazine test strips. The program also provides mobile outreach across Franklin County and mail-order access to Narcan and test strips.

“If you die, nothing is possible, no change can occur – so we want to keep people alive,” said Bion Niederkohr, Program Coordinator at Safe Point.

To learn more about Safe Point, click here.