New Harm Reduction Programs Aims To Reduce Opioid Overdoses

Press release from the City of Alexandria:

May 13, 2021 at 2:16 PM

New Harm Reduction Programs Aims to Reduce Opioid
Overdoses

For immediate release: May 13, 2021

The City of
Alexandria Opioid Work Group
has launched a regional evidence-based harm reduction program in partnership
with The Chris Atwood Foundation to lower the rates of opioid overdoses from
fentanyl, which is about 50 times as potent as heroin.

The program, the
first of its kind in the region, involves the distribution of fentanyl test
strips, which can identify the presence of the synthetic opioid in unregulated
injectable drugs, powders and pills. The program is being funded by a State
Opioid Response (SOR) grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA).

According to the
Virginia Department of Health’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner 4th
Quarter 2020 Fatal Drug Overdose Quarterly Report, fentanyl caused or contributed to 72.1% of the
preliminary total of 2297 fatal overdoses in Virginia in 2020. The synthetic
opioid is often pressed into pills and combined into other substances without
the user’s knowledge.

“Being aware of
fentanyl is present allows people to implement appropriate harm reduction
strategies to reduce the risk of an overdose,” says Opioid Response Coordinator
Emily Bentley. “Use of the strips has been shown to change a person’s behavior
when fentanyl is detected in a substance, and that can save a life.”

The strips will
be distributed in the Northern Virginia region by a team of peer support
specialists provided by The Chris Atwood Foundation. The team will track data
related to the distribution as well.

The peer support
specialists team will also provide a wide range of services to help support
engagement or re-engagement of individuals in recovery, including help in
navigating resources like shelter, recovery housing, medical insurance,
medication-assisted treatment (such as methadone or suboxone) and other
resources. They will also conduct outreach to individuals who have recently
overdosed and provide training to DCHS staff and clients in the use of Narcan,
a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose.

"Peer support
programs bring together persons with lived experience and those looking for
support around their substance use,” says Bentley. “This partnership is unique
in that it allows for a personal, mutually supportive long-term relationship
for clients with those that have the lived experience needed to understand
their needs.”

For more information about the Opioid Work Group,
opioids or treatment and recovery resources, visit alexandriava.gov/Opioids. Residents and organizations interested in acquiring
fentanyl test strips or Narcan can email opioids@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.3326.

For more information, contact Emily Bentley at emily.bentley@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3326.

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This press release was produced by the City of Alexandria.The views expressed here are the author’s own.