Father Who Lost Son to Opioid Overdose to Attend State of the Union

PHOTO: Kevin Flattery, a graduate of Gonzaga High School and University of Virginia, died from a opioid drug overdose in 2014. Photo from Don Flattery’s op-ed column.

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine announced Friday that his guest to President Obama’s final State of the Union address on Tuesday will be Don Flattery, a local resident who lost his son Kevin – a 26-year-old graduate of UVA and Gonzaga College High School – to an opioid overdose in 2014.

Read: Opioid Addiction Hits Here

Kaine has spoken with families, law enforcement and businesses across Virginia about the devastating impact that drug abuse has had on their communities and has worked across the aisle on efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

Flattery has become an advocate in the fight against opioid addiction and is a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse. He has been a vocal supporter of Kaine’s Co-prescribing Saves Lives Act, a bill that would help prevent opioid overdose deaths by encouraging physicians to co-prescribe the life-saving drug Naloxone alongside opioid prescriptions. The bill would also make Naloxone more widely available in federal health settings.

Flattery, who lives in the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County, was the keynote speaker at the April 13 “Painkillers & Heroin: Our Community Problem” forum sponsored by the Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services.

The Unified Prevention Coalition of Fairfax County is a nonprofit organization with more than 60 community partners working together to keep youth and young adults safe and drug-free. Visit www.unifiedpreventioncoalition.org and www.facebook.com/unifiedpreventioncoalition. Follow the group on Twitter at www.twitter.com/keepyouthsafe.