Wednesday is International Overdose Awareness day, a day to recognize the people that have been affected or lost their lives to the tragedy.
Beginning at 10 a.m., local city and community leaders, including Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Fire Chief Aaron Lipski, will meet at Milwaukee's Samad's House for one of three pop-up memorial events to speak on the importance of creating programs that help stop the growing problem of overdoses in our area.
Samad's House is an organization on the city's north side that provides resources and support for people with a history of substance abuse.
Here in Wisconsin, synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, were found in 91% of opioid-related overdose deaths in our state in 2021.