Burlington County Overdose Awareness Vigil Goes Virtual In 2020

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Burlington County’s candlelight vigil in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day will be held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The vigil will be held online on Monday night, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Operation Helping Hand will be accessible during the vigil to viewers who want help.

The vigil will stream live at the following links: https://youtu.be/Fg5wDGvKnLM and
https://www.facebook.com/BCCHCNJ/.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event which is held on Aug. 31 to help raise awareness of overdose and to help reduce stigma of substance use related deaths.

The goal is to highlight the horrible toll of overdose deaths in America, while also giving families an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those they've lost.

In 2019, a joint Rutgers-Eagleton/Farleigh Dickinson University poll found that roughly a quarter of New Jersey residents or their family members had taken a prescription opioid painkiller in the previous 12 months.

Seven in 10 respondents rated prescription drug use as a serious problem in their community.