Friday's Light Up the Night event to include naloxone training

YOUNGSTOWN

On Friday, about 100 luminarias will light up the night in the city.

Each lantern will represent a person in Mahoning County who died of an overdose in the last year.

Community members are invited to participate in Ohio Change Addiction Now (C.A.N.)’s International Overdose Awareness Day event, “Light Up the Night” Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, 1105 Elm St.

The event aims to “remember everyone we’ve lost to an overdose, support loved ones left behind, offer hope to those in active addiction, encourage each person in recovery and educate the community,” said Ohio C.A.N. Mahoning County coordinator Hope Lovrinoff-Moran. “We’ll be lighting luminarias tagged with everybody we’ve lost in these last 12 months. ... We offer a luminaria [to attendees] to remember anyone they’ve lost or who is still struggling.”

The event will begin with a naloxone distribution and training session led by the Mahoning County District Board of Health. Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Naloxone will be available to attendees to bring home with them.

Read more about the event in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.