From Rappahannock Area Community Services Board
About 60,000 people died from drug overdoses last year in the United States, and experts expect that number to grow. The Fredericksburg area has not been immune to the escalating opioid epidemic. Last year, 72 people in Planning District 16 died from opioid overdoses, according to preliminary statistics from the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In an effort to stem the rising tide of deaths, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board now offers REVIVE! training.
The free training helps individuals learn how to recognize an opioid overdose and how to use naloxone to reverse an overdose. Anyone who has a friend or relative using opioids should attend the training. Each attendee will receive a free REVIVE! kit provided by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The kit includes the supplies needed to administer naloxone. The opioid antidote can be purchased without a prescription at pharmacies in Virginia.
“We see the impact of the opioid epidemic daily at RACSB. Many of the individuals who come to us for treatment credit naloxone for saving their lives,” said Deputy Executive Director Jane Yaun. “It is important for community members to know how to use the antidote. After individuals are revived, we hope they will come to RACSB to receive treatment to overcome addiction.”
The next REVIVE! training will be held Saturday, June 10, 9 a.m., at Falmouth Baptist Church, 302 Colonial Avenue in Stafford County. To register or to learn more, contact Jennifer Bateman at 540/374-3337. Or learn more at www.rappahannockareacsb.org.
By the Numbers:
Caroline County:
Opioid overdoses: 2014: 3; 2015: 2; 2016: 9
Fredericksburg City:
Opioid overdoses: 2014: 3; 2015: 7; 2015: 10
King George County:
Opioid overdoses: 2014: 4; 2015: 3; 2016: 5
Spotsylvania County:
Opioid overdoses: 2014: 8; 2015: 18; 2016: 27
Stafford County:
Opioid overdoses: 2014: 8; 2015: 17; 2016: 21
(Source: the Virginia Department of Health Fatal Drug Overdose Quarterly Report. Numbers from 2016 are preliminary.)
