BUFFALO — Family members and friends of those lost to addiction are invited to attend the Opiate Awareness/Memorial Walk at 10 a.m. April 30, at Cleveland Hall on the campus of Buffalo State College, 1300 Elmwood Ave.
The college, the Erie County Opiate Epidemic Task Force’s Family Work Group and the West Side Youth Development Coalition will pay tribute to the 223-plus individuals who succumbed to opioid addiction in Erie County in 2015 as well as to those who passed away since the beginning of 2016.
Brief remarks will be offered by Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein, Legislator Patrick Burke and Institute for Community Health Promotion Director William Wieczorek.
Debra Smith, who chairs the Erie County Opiate Epidemic Task Force’s Family Work Group, said organizers hope the walk illustrates to others that they are not alone in their struggles.
“While going through the biggest loss of our lives, we are fighting in memory of our loved ones to prevent this from happening to other families,” she said.
In September, Smith lost her son, Nathaniel Smith, to a prescription drug overdose at the age of 26. She noted that in 2011 and 2012, he had kidney stones, had his gall bladder removed, was hit by a car while riding his bicycle and had his wisdom teeth removed, leading to him to legally take prescription drugs to which he eventually became addicted. Smith added that her son was released from the hospital a week before his death without a withdraw plan. Now she volunteers with the Task Force and shares her son’s story in the hopes of helping others.
“Addiction is a deep, pitted path that quickly becomes a mudslide with no foothold,” she said. “We need to be the outstretched hand of intervention in this disaster.”
Also from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30, Buffalo State College – along with dozens of sites across Western New York – will participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of unused prescription drugs and raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback and click “Locate a Collection Site Near You.”
