Annual Black Balloon Day honored 183 lost to overdoses in Richland, Lexington counties

Columbia, S.C. – To honor the 183 residents of Richland and Lexington Counties who lost their lives to substance overdoses in 2024, LRADAC hosted Black Balloon Day on Wednesday, March 6, at LRADAC’s Education Center at 2711 Colonial Dr. in downtown Columbia. With the total number of 2024 overdose fatalities at 183 (Richland County at 90 deaths and Lexington County at 93), last year’s statistics reflect a slight decrease from 2023, which had 201 overdoses (Richland County at 98 fatalities and Lexington County at 103 deaths).

“LRADAC’s annual Black Balloon Day honors the friends, family, and loved ones we lost to substance misuse,” said LRADAC’s Director of Prevention Ashley Bodiford. “It’s certainly a somber occasion, but it also helps raise awareness on ways to prevent overdose and how people can enter recovery. The decrease in overdose numbers in 2024 shows us that our efforts are working but that more work is needed to maintain these reductions.”

The public was invited to attend Black Balloon Day and to commemorate those lives lost from drug overdose in our community, honor their family and loved ones and learn ways to prevent substance misuse and overdoses. In addition to a panel of speakers to talk about substance misuse, harm reduction and overdose prevention, LRADAC’s prevention staff were on-site to distribute free Narcan—a medication designed to reverse opioid overdose rapidly—as well as Deterra, a safe, at-home medication drug disposal system.

For more information about prevention, intervention, treatment and withdrawal management, call LRADAC at 803-726-9330 or visit online at www.lradac.org.

LRADAC is the designated alcohol and drug abuse authority for Lexington and Richland Counties. The public, not-for-profit agency offers a wide array of prevention, intervention and treatment programs in locations convenient to residents of both counties. The agency has a budget of approximately $10 million and serves more than 4,500 clients annually. For more information on programs and services, visit LRADAC’s website at www.lradac.org.