People are coming together to honor people affected by overdoses in San Luis Obispo County at the 8th annual SLO Overdose Awareness Day.
Yvonne and Ken Hildenbrand lost their 27-year-old son Jesse to an overdose. Three years later, the Hildenbrands are now looking to help people going through a similar experience while also looking for support themselves at the annual SLO overdose awareness day.
“It's important that we come out and we share that there's hope for those who make it to let their loss in addiction, who may feel that life is too much," Ken said. "They have a community of people that want to come around and support them and for those who have lost someone from overdose, it's a great place to find healing.”
The San Luis Obispo County Overdose Awareness Day is held every year to reduce the stigma surrounding opioid overdoses and the people they affect.
Ken said when they talk about how their son passed, they typically find out others have been impacted by an overdose.
“Being out there and speaking it, it creates healing for everyone and that's so important that just there's nothing shameful in it," he said. "There's nothing shameful in the way Jesse passed and there's nothing shameful in the way that we grieve over that.”
Several opioid overdoses occur in San Luis Obispo County every year, but there’s been a decline in recent years. According to the California Department of Public Health, the most recent data shows there were 42 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2024 … a 45% decrease from 78 deaths in 2023.
The San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department said educational events like this one have contributed to the decline.
Keynote speaker Jamie Metzgar is with Hospice of SLO County. Her focus is helping survivors of overdose loss process their grief without shame.
“It makes other people really uncomfortable, so the survivors tend to not talk about it, which kind of repeats the shame spirals that people get into," Metzgar said. "So it's really important to validate people's experiences, normalize talking about grief and just talking about these types of losses very openly and honestly and without judgment.”
Resources were available at the event, featuring organizations focused on substance use prevention. Booths also offered free naloxone kits, giving attendees a way to respond if they witness an overdose.
Metzgar said bringing the community together over a common concern can be the difference in another person sharing their story.
“Shame only exists in the dark; the moment things are brought to light and people feel that they can talk about it. It's a relief," she said.
