'Walk to End Addiction' marks 50 years of service for Phoenix House of Tuscaloosa

The Phoenix House of Tuscaloosa will mark 50 years of service with a "Walk to End Addiction" on Saturday at the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk.

The event is free to the public and will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk, which is off Jack Warner Parkway along the Black Warrior River. Registration for the event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Bama Belle Landing.

"The Phoenix House Walk to End Addiction (event) is to highlight the toll addiction takes on a person’s life, family, friends, career, emotional and physical health, finances, and personal safety," said Ted Sexton, executive director of the Phoenix House.

Since 1972, the Phoenix House has helped more than 10,000 people in the Tuscaloosa area recover from alcohol and drug addiction and return to society as productive members.

The outdoor event will include vendors selling food and T-shirts, information tables and a public Naloxone training provided by the University of Alabama's Project FREEDOM, a four-year, $3.2 million-dollar project that aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths in rural Alabama. The training will instruct participants how to properly respond to a medical emergency caused by a heroin or fentanyl overdose.

Training sessions will occur during intervals throughout the duration of the event.

Wendi Hogue, director of Project FREEDOM, said that during the training, participants will learn how to recognize the warning signs of an opioid overdose.

"And we'll also educate them about their own risk ... how to talk to your doctor about what you're being prescribed, ask questions, learn if it could be habit-forming, those kinds of things," Hogue said.

A physician will distribute 200 Naloxone kits provided by the Alabama Department of Mental and Public Health to participants who complete the training. Naloxone is an FDA-approved medication designed to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

"If someone has a loved one, or someone in their family, or a friend who struggles with opioid use disorder or misusing them, it's always good to have an Naloxone kit on hand," Hogue said.

Hogue said she believes Naloxone training is just as important as other commonly taught emergency trainings, like CPR, because of its life-saving potential.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: 'Walk to End Addiction' marks 50 years of service for Phoenix House