A photo of the late Graham John Green is set in the grass, a stark reminder of why there is a need to honour International Overdose Awareness Day, today, Aug. 31.
An event is underway now at Pavillion Park in downtown Squamish.
Green died Sunday, Aug. 23 from an overdose. He was 29.
Sarah Thompson, organizer of Monday's event, which started at 3 p.m. and runs until 5 p.m., knew Green, she said.
"I just thought it would be nice to do something to get the community aware of what is going on and how bad it really is and educate some people along the way," she said, of organizing the event.
The pandemic has made the opioid crisis that much worse, she added.
"It is really important that we are reaching out to addicts who are alone during this time, during the pandemic and educating them on how to use safely and prevent an overdose in someone else."
Jenna Becker, project co-ordinator with the Sea to Sky Community Action Team, and Robert Leblanc (VCH Overdose Outreach Worker) will be presenting on what overdose prevention services are available in Squamish. Leblanc will also provide Naloxone training.
There's a new Lifeguard App that alerts emergency medical dispatchers of a potential overdose, for example. The app can be downloaded at both the App Store and Google Play.
For more resources and information, go to overdoseday.com.
