Wednesday is International Overdose Awareness Day, and Bluewater Health is holding a special memorial event at Sarnia's Centennial Park.
It's taking place from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.
VP of Mental Health and Addictions Services Paula Reaume-Zimmer said it's an informal event for people to share their experiences with one another.
"It's a very supporting and nurturing evening," said Reaume-Zimmer. "Last year, you could just feel a vibe of community support with a sense of hope in many regards and a sense of mourning and loss under very unfortunate circumstances. There are a lot of serious conversations, with people sharing their experience of loss but there's also individuals that share some very courageous stories of their fight with addiction and their recovery and there is hope ahead of us."
Reaume-Zimmer said they'll be offering flowers for families to tie on the railing along the waterfront in memory of a loved one.
She said they continue to see a concerning trend when it comes to overdoses, with the amount of losses and hospitalizations increasing over the past few years.
"Definitely, we have a lot of heavy lifting to do and we know that the community of Sarnia is very much behind this concern."
Reaume-Zimmer said options like Ryan's House have certainly helped as they await construction of a community addictions hub at Bluewater Health.
Lambton Public Health will be providing free Naloxone kits at the memorial.
International Overdose Awareness Day began in 2001.
