Several local events will mark International Overdose Awareness Day, including lighting of the teepee
By Medicine Hat News on August 20, 2020.
International Overdose Awareness Day will be acknowledged in Medicine Hat with a number of events. On Aug. 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the public is invited to visit a booth at the Rite Downtown Garden Centre on Second Street SE (across the road from Station Coffee). There will be information about overdose awareness and local supports and programs where a substance user can receive assistance. Naloxone training will also be available. Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is a medication that can be administered to block the effects of opioids. It is generally used to address decreased breathing in someone who has had an opioid overdose. Later that day, from 5-9 p.m. in the same location, there will be a candle light vigil, said Krista Worobec, co-chair of the Medicine Hat Drug Coalition. There is also a Facebook event with a virtual memorial wall for individuals who have been lost to an overdose. The Saamis Tepee will be specially lit to mark the occasion. Worobec says from Aug. 28 to Sept. 4 the teepee will be illuminated in the colour purple in honour of those that the community has lost due to an overdose. 7-6
