Today, Aug. 31, is International Overdose Awareness Day, a day that seeks to create better understanding of overdoses, reduce the stigma of drug-related deaths, and create change that reduces the harms associated with drug use.
Observed annually, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) brings much-needed attention to the crisis in Sudbury, as recently-released Community Drug Strategy statistics reveal that 101 people in the Sudbury and Manitoulin Districts died from an opioid related overdose in 2021.
This represents a local annualized mortality rate of 49.2 deaths per 100,000 population per year, significantly higher than the comparable rate in Ontario overall, 18.8 deaths per 100,000 population per year.
From January 2022 to June 2022, Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services have responded to 400 suspected opioid-related incidents.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s most recent World Annual Drug Report, nearly half a million people around the world died as a result of drug use in 2019.
And early statistics and anecdotal evidence for the 2021 calendar year show that the situation is becoming ever-more critical, exacerbated in many areas by the pandemic decreasing the tolerance of people who use drugs and disrupting both services and the drug supply chain.
To mark International Overdose Awareness Day, Réseau ACCESS Network, in partnership with Sudbury Indie Cinema Co-op, are hosting a screening of the film Kimmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy, which follows filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as she creates an intimate portrait of her community and the impacts of the substance use and overdose epidemic.
Prior to the Aug. 31 screening of the film will be an opening ceremony, an overdose recognition and response training, and short discussion.
As well, Réseau ACCESS Network has issued a call to turn Sudbury purple on Aug. 31. The agency is hoping for the support of local organizations, building owners and businesses to add purple lighting or decoration in the name of remembrance and awareness.
As well, a barbecue will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 95 Pine Street location of the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth, in partnership with Public Health Sudbury and Districts and OAHAS (Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy). There will be the opportunity to honour a loved one, speak with an elder, and be tested for HIV.
For more information, visit the International Overdose Awareness Day website, found here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com. She covers the diverse communities of Sudbury, especially the vulnerable or marginalized, including the Black, Indigenous, newcomer and Francophone communities, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ and issues of the downtown core.
