Startling Growth in Overdose Deaths in Virginia; Fentanyl a Major Cause

(October 13, 2021) Information Update

Startling Growth in Overdose Deaths in Virginia; Fentanyl a Major Cause

For the first four months of 2021, preliminary numbers show the largest number of fatal overdoses ever seen in Virginia, says Kathrin “Rosie” Hobron with the VDH Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

She says it is not just Virginia but that most states are dealing with this dire situation.  The COVID-19 pandemic made an already bad opioid crisis even worse.

  • Fatal overdoses (all substances) increased by over 40-percent from 2019 to 2020 in Virginia.
  • In 2020, three out of every four fatal overdoses involved Fentanyl.

Fentanyl Deadly DangerFentanyl is in most narcotics a person can buy on the street. Cocaine and marijuana are being laced with Fentanyl, says Heather Martinsen with Prince William County Community Services.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently released a national warning about counterfeit pills laced with Fentanyl (One Pill Can Kill) https://www.dea.gov/onepill

Peer Recovery- In the Greater Prince William area, Martinsen says they have Peer Recovery Specialists who can connect with people seeking recovery. Also, the Chris Atwood Foundation https://www.thecaf.org/ has a presence in the Greater Prince William area.

REVIVE Training – REVIVE training is hosted regularly via zoom. The training teaches residents to understand what opioids are, what an opioid overdose looks like and how to respond by using naloxone appropriately.

After attending the training, a person can receive a REVIVE Kit and Narcan nasal spray free of charge, so they can quickly respond to an opioid overdose.

For more information about the virtual training, call 703-792-7739 or email csbhwteam@pwcgov.org. Find training dates and times on the Community Services and PWC Government Events pages. Registration is required.

Drug Take-Back Day is October 23.

For more information visit, https://www.pwcva.gov/news/mark-your-calendar-prescription-drug-take-back-day-october-23

Community Services website, https://www.pwcva.gov/department/community-services