Contributed

By Sydney Chisholm

Overdose Awareness day

Saturday an opportunity to commemorate Overdose Awareness Day at Riverside Park

Aug 29, 2024 | 7:00 PM

KAMLOOPS – August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day.

Around the world on Saturday, people will be commemorating the lives lost to the unregulated drug supply.

Here in Kamloops, Moms Stop the Harm, the Kamloops Women’s Centre, Interior Health Nurses and the BC Schizophrenia Society have all teamed up for an event in Riverside Park

“It’s an event to bring awareness, to commemorate and remember those who lost their lives to drug poisoning or accidental overdose,” said event organizer Kathleen Larose from the Kamloops Women’s Centre.

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“It’s a time to bring communities together as well, to help educate and bring awareness to what the crisis is, how it’s impacting the community as a whole – what harm reduction is.”

Larose says event partners will be providing education around addictions, mental health and toxic drug supply policies at the event.

The event will start at 12:00 noon on Saturday (Aug. 31) at the Hope installation in Riverside Park.

Larose says this is the first time Interior Health will be participating in the event, adding they will be providing naloxone kits and training people how to use them.

“It’s just a big opportunity to bring awareness around the crisis that is actually impacting Kamloops,” she said. “It’s such a small community, yet we’re losing so many people and it’s impacting everyone — not just our vulnerable communities, but the community as a whole.”