JAMESTOWN — In a move to remember those who lost their fight with drug addiction, the Chautauqua County Mental Health Association and St. Luke’s Church are holding a special service at 10 a.m., Sunday, to be followed by a Narcan training in the church parking lot.
Executive Director Steven Cobb told WNYNewsNow that Monday is International Overdose Awareness Day. The Association has partnered with St. Luke’s to hold an ecumenical service at 10 a.m., Sunday morning.
“The service will be a service of remembrance in which we connect through common prayer and spirituality,” Cobb said. The service will include remembering all county people who were lost to overdoses, he said.
The service will be followed by a Narcan training in the church parking lot. Both, the service and training, will be streamed live on St Luke’s and the Association’s Facebook pages.
People who stream the training, and them private message their address to Cobb, will be given Narcan to carry with them, Cobb said.
Streaming the events is important, especially during a pandemic, Cobb related.
“I think that’s very important because one of those things I’m always saying is ‘the opposite of addiction is community and connection,’ ” Cobb said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has been very difficult to everyone who is in recovery because we can’t connect the way we’re used to connecting. I think we’re making strides forward in connecting to people,” Cobb said.
Isolation because of the pandemic has caused many issues for those in recovery, he said.
“I don’t think we knew what to expect when the pandemic started. I had what I’d call an uneasy feeling,” Cobb explained. “I don’t know that we saw it coming but shortly into it, boy we knew that was the problem.”
He noted there has been an increase in alcohol consumption, but people don’t think about it because the chances of sudden death are less, he said.
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