Island Health to put out purple chairs for lives lost on International Overdose Awareness Day

This year, Island Health will be putting out 18 purple chairs to honour the lives lost to the ongoing toxic drug crisis on International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). 

IOAD will land on Sunday, August 31st this year, but the chairs will be put out on Monday, August 25th at Island Health service locations in Campbell River, Nanaimo, Oceanside, Comox Valley, Port Alberni, Duncan, Westshore, and Victoria. 

The chairs will serve as memorial exhibits, and will also include information, resources, purple ribbon pins and an interactive memory board, according to Island Health. 

“We are nine years into the BC toxic drug crisis, and it is unrelenting,” said Leah Hollins, Island Health board chair. 

“Purple has long been used as the colour to represent lives lost to the ongoing global crisis. These purple chairs symbolize the loved ones lost, providing a quiet space for rest, reflection and remembrance.”

According to data from the BC Coroners Service, unregulated drug poisoning remains the leading cause of death among those 19 to 59-years-old throughout the province. 

Island Health notes that the toxic drug crisis is also the second leading cause of overall potential years of life lost, second only to cancer.  

In the first six months of the year, toxic drug poisonings have taken the lives of 163 Vancouver Islanders: 30 in North Vancouver Island, 77 in Central Vancouver Island, and 56 in South Vancouver Island.

So far this year, 915 BC residents have died from toxic drug use. 

Furthermore, at least 17,250 British Columbians have died of drug-use since the public health emergency regarding toxic substances was initiated in 2016. 

“These deaths are preventable,” says Dr. Réka Gustafson, vice president, population and public health and chief medical health officer. 

“Remembering those we have lost honours them and keeps them in the centre of the dialogue about a meaningful response to the crisis from the entire community.”

She added that these deaths require actions beyond health services like Island Health, including investment in the social determinants of health, like housing, income, education and social connection, which shape people’s vulnerability to substance use.

Specifically, she says that the government needs to focus on equitable and accessible prevention, harm reduction and treatment services.

In addition to in-person purple chair memorial stations, Island Health is hosting an online memory wall, which is live now and will be through September 20th. 

This memory wall provides an opportunity for people to share memories, words and photos highlighting the loved ones they have lost.

This year’s IOAD theme is, “One Big Family,” and is meant to be a reminder that we are all connected—and that together, through compassion and awareness, we can honour lives lost and support those impacted by overdose and the crisis.