Newport Honors Overdose Awareness Day With Flags For Those Who Died

NEWPORT, RI — Newport was one of several Rhode Island cities and towns to participate in a solemn occasion: Overdose Awareness Day.

On Wednesday, vigils and rallies were held across the Ocean State to remember local people who died due to overdoses — a number that has been on the rise.

Deaths from opioid-related overdoses increased in 2021 by 13.28 percent from 2020, data from the Rhode Island Department of Health showed.

Rhode Island lost 435 people to the opioid epidemic in 2021, so Newport decorated City Hall with 435 flags to represent each person who died.

"We're proud to once again be partnering with the Newport County Prevention Coalition with the hope of sparking a conversation within the community about your personal experiences with substance abuse recovery in order to encourage more residents to seek help and end the stigma surrounding substance abuse," a city spokesperson said in a statement. "Newport is also proud to be home of a Safe Stations program which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, anyone struggling with addiction."