San Luis Obispo County is hosting its 4th International Overdose Awareness Day event on Wednesday, August 31.
International Overdose Awareness Day was started in 2001 in Australia and now is recognized around the world.
SLO County Overdose Awareness and the SLO Opioid Safety Coalition are partnering for the local event. It will be held at Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
“Every day, lives around us are being changed and lost to overdose,” said Jennifer Rhoads, SLO County’s Opioid Safety Coordinator. “Overdose does not discriminate; it can affect you or someone you love, a friend, colleague, or a neighbor.”
According to the San Luis Obispo County Coroner's Office, there were 123 SLO County residents who died of an overdose in 2021, a 40% increase from 2020 and a 132% increase from 2019. It was reported that three out of four overdoses in 2021 involved opioids.
The event is free and will include a resource fair with information about how to prevent overdose, overdose prevention training, free Narcan (naloxone) distribution, and a candle-lighting ceremony to honor loved ones lost to overdose.
