International Overdose Awareness Day will be marked with a community event Saturday, Aug. 31 in Williams Lake.
The Canadian Mental Health Association and BGC Williams Lake Club are hosting a free event from noon until 3 p.m. in Boitanio Park.
There will be community resources, free food and drinks, and the opportunity for people to share experiences.
Information will be provided about the toxic drug supply, ways to reduce stigma and raise awareness and it will be a chance to honour and remember people who died because of the toxic drug supply.
Anyone wanting more information is asked to contact Laurel White, BGCWL harm reduction coordinator, at 250-305-4235 or prevention@bgcwilliamslake.com by email.
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is held on Aug. 31 every year and is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.
The theme for 2024 is "together we can," highlighting the power of a community when it stands together.
Jane Campbell, BC Emergency Health Services communications, confirmed that paramedics have responded to 161 overdose/poisoning events in Williams Lake in 2024 to date as of 11 a.m. Aug. 23.
For comparison, BCEHS paramedics responded to 123 overdose/poisoning events in Williams Lake from January 1 to August 31 in 2023, and 249 such events in total in 2023.
Campbell said BCEHS paramedics and emergency medical call takers have saved the lives of many patients who have suffered adverse reactions to drug poisonings and overdoses.
The BC Coroners Service reports the vast majority of illicit drug toxicity deaths happen when people use alone because there is no one to call 9-1-1.
"At BCEHS, we stress the importance of not using alone, going slow, using the Connect by Lifeguard app if you do use alone, and calling 9-1-1 if you see someone who may be experiencing an overdose," said Campbell.
She also noted members of the public can also consider carrying naloxone, a medication that quickly reverses the effects of an overdose from opioids such as heroin, methadone, fentanyl and morphine.
Naloxone kits are available in B.C. without a prescription.
BC Centre for Disease Control started the Take Home Naloxone program in 2012 to provide life-saving training and kits to people at risk of an opioid overdose or those likely to witness an overdose. There are now over 2,300 sites participating across British Columbia.
