Today is Overdose Awareness Day, a day dedicated to remembering people who have died from drug-related deaths and pushing back on the stigma that surrounds them.

According to the website OverdoseFreePA, Carbon County experienced a steady rise in overdose deaths between 2016 and 2018. And between 2015 and 2018, there were nearly 100 of such deaths in the county.

In that same year span, more than 200 people died from overdose in Schuylkill County. In Monroe County, more than 260 overdose deaths were reported between 2013 and 2018.

Here are some ways those who have died from an overdose are being honored locally:

Carbon-Monroe-Pike

At the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission offices in Lehighton, there’s a memorial dedicated to local people who have died as a result of an overdose. The collection of pictures and decals representing those who have passed grows year-round, said Jamie Drake, the commission’s executive director.

“These are everyday people,” Drake said. “These are people that live in your community. It could happen to anyone, and it’s devastating to a family.”

Those wanting to submit a photo of a loved one for the memorial can send a 4-by-6-inch photo, the name and age of the person and your contact information to the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission at 430 S. Seventh St. in Lehighton.

Safer Streets

donates Naloxone

Starting at 3 p.m. today, Safer Streets for Tamaqua’s Little Feet will host a presentation in Tamaqua’s Depot Square, where it will donate 40 units of Naloxone to the borough’s police.

It will happen in front of John E. Morgan Memorial Fountain, which was purple this past week in honor of people who have died in drug-related deaths.

The Tamaqua Police Department has also committed to regularly carrying the lifesaving opioid antagonist.

Ceremony at Ginter

A ceremony honoring the life of Chrissy Erbe, a 2013 Panther Valley graduate who passed away in 2016, will be held at Ginther Field in Summit Hill. It starts at noon.