International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31. It’s a time to honor the lives lost to overdose, support families and people we care about who continue to grieve, and recommit ourselves to being part of the solution to prevent future tragedies.

In this episode, Ashley Perry, Deputy Director and Overdose Prevention Center Director at Project Weber/RENEW, a Rhode Island-based nonprofit providing compassionate, peer-led harm reduction and recovery support services, talks about the organization's role in coordinating Rhode Island’s annual International Overdose Awareness Day naloxone distribution activities. The statewide celebration will be observed this year on September 1.

For anyone who would like to volunteer to help with the event, please email ioad@weberrenew.org. Click here to find and International Overdose Awareness Day event near you.

As the national cyclosporiasis foodborne outbreak continues to grow, so do questions and concerns. In this episode, Dr. Brendalee Viveiros, Chief of RIDOH’s Center for Food Protection talks about what we know, how foodborne illness investigations like this one work, and steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Rhode Islanders have been hearing frequent news reports about animals testing positive for rabies in heavily populated areas. While we are seeing an increase here in the Ocean State, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. In this episode, Chuck McGinnis, a RIDOH Public Health Nurse and Alexia Larson, a Public Health Epidemiologist, both from RIDOH’s Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology, talk about what the data show, how to avoid animal bites, and more.