Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel, Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz, and other local officials proclaimed Overdose Awareness Week in Chautauqua County on Monday morning at Dunkirk City Hall.

Jennifer Larson, founder of CHQ Together We Can, said the organization advocated for declaration of the week as an awareness raiser to the widespread scourge of opioids.

“The opioid epidemic has had a devastating impact on our community and countless others across the country,” she said. “It’s crucial that we come together to honor those who have lost their lives to accidental overdose and support those struggling with addiction to reduce their stigma, and this includes their families.”

Dunkirk City Hall will be lit in purple this week to mark Overdose Awareness Week. Together We Can is also sponsoring a “Be the Light” event from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Point Gratiot Park, to mark International Overdose Awareness Day.

Mayor Kim Ecklund has also proclaimed Aug. 25 to 31 as Overdose Awareness Week in that city, with Jamestown City Hall also being illuminated in purple.

Wendel said, “When I first began (as an emergency medical technician) in 1995, we would use Narcan once, maybe twice in a summer. It is now something that is given regularly, multiple times a day, throughout Chautauqua County…

“This is a concern that is dear to me. I’ve lost friends. I’ve seen families go through the trauma of finding an unresponsive loved one. Former students of mine, I’ve come across and shake my head as to say, ‘When? How? Why?’ So, this awareness is crucial.”

Wendel said overdose deaths in the county are down, but everyone must remain vigilant in the face of the opioid epidemic.

Larson said, “I think part of that (decrease in overdose deaths) is we’re coming together as a community and we’ve started to utilize the support and resources available to us.”

However, she added, “We have a lot of people living in this community that are unaware of these resources. We have a lot of people… that don’t recognize or realize there is support out there for them, even if they’re not the ones living with addiction.”

Wdowiasz said, “As we bathe our City Hall in purple, we do more than simply change its hue. We illuminate a path of compassion, solidarity and unwavering support for those the opioid crisis has touched.

“This week is about awareness, about shedding the stigma that often accompanies addiction. We must see it, name it and recognize it is a public health crisis.”