OGDENSBURG — The Valley Recovery Center hosted its fourth Annual Recovery River Run Sept. 7 at the Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority and despite inclement weather, over 100 community members and allied partners attended.

On the heels of International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31), the event celebrates National Recovery Month, a broad collaborative effort to promote the solutions available and transformations possible for individuals in active substance use and their loved ones.

Calling upon individual strength and community resilience, the 5K offered hope and healing in the wake of recent losses due to fentanyl-related overdose.

According to County officials, there have been 61 confirmed opioid overdoses and 5 deaths in St. Lawrence County since January of this year. In 2023, there were 153 confirmed overdoses from opioids and 12 deaths. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reports there were 6,358 drug overdose deaths in New York State in 2022, a rate of about 31 deaths per 100,000 people -- 6 and 7 times the firearm injury and homicide death rates respectively -- and a ranking of 28th in the country.

The CDC also reports 2023 data indicating the first decrease in total deaths from heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl since 2018. Recovery and Prevention advocates believe their continued efforts including widespread distribution of overdose-reversing Naloxone (Narcan) are making a difference. September is also Suicide Prevention Month, shining a light on the imperative of mental health and its close relationship to alcohol, opioid and other substance-driven and behavioral addictions.

Event sponsors included North Star Health Alliance, Richard E. Winter Cancer Center, SeaComm, JRECK'S, Children's Home of Jefferson County, The Moose Lodge, Allyse's Daycare, St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union, Royal-J-Acres LLC, Stewart's Shops, St. Lawrence Health, North Country Savings Bank, Latham Auto LLC, Buster's Sports Bar & Restaurant, Howland Pump & Supply Co., North Country Freedom Homes, Key Bank, Jeff Johnson, Price Chopper, 7-Eleven and FROPRO Snack Bar, a Florida-based company founded by a couple in Recovery.

The Valley Recovery Center is a program of Seaway Valley Prevention Council, formerly known as the Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council of St. Lawrence County. Located in Ogdensburg, the Council has been providing prevention, education, information, intervention, and referral services to St. Lawrence County residents for 37 years. To learn more about Recovery services currently offered, call 315-541-3057 or email recovery@svpc.net.