SALISBURY — Organizers of an upcoming event are hoping to sound the alarm about drug abuse in Rowan County.
Organizers are hoping to see a large crowd take part in the upcoming International Overdose Awareness Day event scheduled for Aug. 28, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in Cannon Park.
A collaboration between the Park Avenue Neighborhood Association and the Rowan County Public Health HOPE Team, the event is geared toward honoring the lives of those lost to drug use.
“We’re going to have a memorial that day,” said Jovan Surita, an association member and event organizer.
Surita and his family moved to Salisbury from Charlotte almost three years ago. He helped organized a similar event in Charlotte and hopes the Salisbury event will become annual.
“I hope it will take off,” Surita said, later adding that this is not a fundraiser.. “I’m pretty confident it will take off.”
The upcoming event is a response to recent statewide drug abuse statistics. Relative to the state’s other 99 counties, Rowan County is ranked second in fentanyl-related deaths. That is based on information from a Rowan County Health Department release published late last month.
“Rowan County health officials are raising awareness about the continued impact of the opioid and fentanyl crisis after recent data revealed a concerning increase in overdose-related emergency department visits and one of the highest fentanyl-positive death rates in North Carolina,” reads part of the June release.
Surita said he felt disappointed after learning about the statistics.
“That is a huge, huge issue everywhere,” Surita said. “But Rowan County placing second in the state, it kind of hits home.”
Since moving to Salisbury, Surita said he has spoken to and worked with a number of local officials about the drug issue. He believes the county can course correct and he uses himself as a model.
Now in his sixth year of sobriety, Surita said working individually with people and helping them develop a plan is key. He said the upcoming event can be step toward that for a lot of people.
“There is a…community of people that understand,” Surita said, later adding “there is help available, there are resources available.”
Cannon Park is located at 611 Park Ave., Salisbury.
