Activists honor 1,400 New Yorkers lost to addiction on Overdose Awareness Day

The Phoenix Houses of New York and Long Island hosted a daylong event on the steps of Restoration Plaza, allowing people to remember the ones they’ve lost.

News 12 Staff

Sep 1, 2021, 2:28 AM

Updated 1,189 days ago

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Activists were at the Phoenix House of New York Tuesday to tell people that it’s OK to seek help for substance abuse.
In honor of Overdose Awareness Day, a tribute was held in Bed-Stuy for the nearly 1,400 New Yorkers who died of a drug overdose in 2020.
The Phoenix Houses of New York and Long Island hosted a daylong event on the steps of Restoration Plaza, allowing people to remember the ones they’ve lost.
Bed-Stuy resident Vicki Hill says she prays that every client that walks out of the Phoenix Houses continue to do good.
“When you get the call that they’re about to pull the plug because a client OD’d, it really hurts you,” Hill says.
Organizers of the event like president and CEO of the Phoenix House Ann-Marie Foster also provided Narcan training in hopes that someone can be saved.
“I think it’s vitally important that Narcan, a simple thing that you can ingest in someone’s nose, can save someone’s life,” Foster says.
Director of Recovery Services and Community Outreach Shawn Willis says that Wednesday will start Recovery Month to put addiction and overdose behind us.