THUNDER BAY - With much of the country, including the city of Thunder Bay, struggling through an opioid crisis that is resulting in overdoses and deaths, it is becoming more and more important to create awareness around the supports that are available, while also grieving those who have already been lost.
“I think there’s a visual right in front of us, the purple ribbons, those are people’s lives,” said Stephanie Diebolt, co-chair of the drug awareness committee. “It shows that we are all human, and we have people that we lose. Addiction and mental health should be treated just like any other health condition.”
Purple ribbons were hung at the entrance to the Kam River Heritage Park on Tuesday, marking International Overdose Awareness Day.
The city of Thunder Bay has been hosting an event to mark the day since 2015 and drug strategy coordinator, Cynthia Olsen, said it’s about standing united with the community.
“It is an international event to recognize the number of deaths that are occurring as the result of drug toxicity and support families in their grief,” she said. “This is challenging and as people are well aware, the opioid crisis continues to rage on and a number of families are impacted.”
“This is really about promoting community, about being a compassionate community, and getting an understanding of services and supports available in our community.”
The event included representatives from the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy, Thunder Bay District Health Unit, NorWest Community Health Centres, Matawa, Superior North EMS, Elevate NWO, Oahas, Hospice Northwest.
Resources on addiction and mental health services were made available, as well as overdose prevention training, free naloxone kits, and CPR training.
And while the day is meant to raise awareness about overdose prevention, it’s also a time to remember those who have been lost.
The number of overdoses and fatalities from drug use is steadily increasing. This year alone, the city of Thunder Bay has seen 148 reported overdoses and 48 being fatal as of July.
Champagne Thomson, an outreach worker with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit’s street nursing team, has seen first-hand the devastation the opioid crisis is having on the community.
“We witness and assist in the response to some overdoses in town and we also help a lot of folks post overdose and their medical needs. We have lost a lot of loved ones personally and professionally,” she said.
Thomson added that addressing this issue takes a community effort, including the medical perspective and the social perspective.
“All these things need to come together to understand addiction and mental health and trauma and have a better response to it to be able to prevent these deaths and provide the supports necessary to keep people happy and healthy on their healing journey,” she said.
Drug addiction can impact anyone, though said there are people who are disproportionally affected and they often slip through the cracks.
“My hope for the future is really understanding the social determinants of health and health equity,” she said. “We need more housing, we need more supports in our community, and more funding needs to be put there to make sure these people get the supports that they need.”
Other events are planned for the city of Thunder Bay, including the annual Rockin’ Recovery, which will be held virtually on Sept. 22. On Tuesday, people were encouraged to share messages of hope and remembrance on a large mural, which will be displayed around the city.
“We are collecting these together to show these organizations care, the community cares, people can recover,” Diebolt said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
