Providence Vigil Honors Overdose Awareness Day

PROVIDENCE, RI — Providence will join communities across the nation and state in marking a solemn occasion on Wednesday: Overdose Awareness Day.

On Aug. 31, vigils and rallies will be held across the state to remember local people who had died due to overdoses — a number that has increased recently.

In Providence, Project Weber/RENEW will host a vigil at Burnside Park, 40 Kennedy Plaza, from 6 to 8 p.m.

According to the organization, harm reduction supplies, including Narcan, will be available.

"Individuals who would like the name of a loved one read as part of the event can submit it when they attend or ahead of time to IOAD@weberrenew.org," an event preview reads.

Deaths from opioid-related overdoses increased in 2021 by 13.28 percent from 2020, data from the Rhode Island Department of Health showed. Massachusetts had 2,290 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in 2021 — 51 more than in 2020.

Many communities will set up fields of purple flags, the symbol of people lost to drug overdoses.

Related: Overdose Awareness Day In RI: Find Local Vigils, Education, Events