Local agencies came together Tuesday to raise awareness about overdose and provide resources to those in need.
While International Overdose Awareness Day isn’t until Monday, Aug. 31, it was marked early in Orillia with a gathering outside the Lighthouse Soup Kitchen and Shelter.
In response to an increase in overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Gilbert Centre have been doing outreach in Orillia since March. They approached the Lighthouse about hosting an awareness event. Because they’re in town only twice a week, they decided to do it Tuesday.
To reach as many people as possible, the event took place during the Lighthouse’s lunch program.
“We knew that people would come,” said Lighthouse executive director Linda Goodall, noting the organization has handed out more than 4,000 sandwiches since the pandemic hit.
Visitors had the opportunity to learn about overdose and where they could get help. They could also receive naloxone kits and write messages of hope or remembrance on heart-shaped cards.
“It’s a memorial, but it’s also awareness,” Goodall said. “Many people have lost friends and family to overdose in Orillia and Simcoe County. Supporting those in the community is huge because the trauma each individual deals with will stay with them.”
Sarah Melbye, an addictions counsellor with the CMHA’s opioid treatment team, said it was important for the different agencies to join forces for Tuesday’s event.
“It’s great to bring us all together. It helps to reduce the gaps that are in the community,” she said.
The outreach program in recent months has been “very positive,” she added.
“It’s something I hope we can continue, even after COVID.”
Holding an awareness event in such a public way is important in the fight to reduce stigma, Melbye said.
“The people here are members of our community and we need to ensure they have the support they need,” she said.
“It lets folks know there is support,” added Aamina Gaya, a harm-reduction outreach worker with the Gilbert Centre. “It’s letting them know it’s not just one place; we’re all here together to help them.”
Taking part in the outreach has proven “there’s a huge need,” she said.
From January to July, there were more than 300 emergency department visits in Simcoe County and Muskoka because of opioid overdose. It’s a problem that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic, which makes awareness and outreach even more important.
Fortunately, Gaya said, “people here have been very responsive” to the program.
“It shows them there are people who care,” she said.
After Tuesday's event at the Lighthouse, the outreach workers headed to local hotels where shelter guests are being housed during the pandemic.
