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Shenandoah Valley Program Aims to Share Life-saving Overdose Drug

In response to Virginia’s opioid crisis, which the State Health Commissioner declared a “public health emergency” last year, counties across the Commonwealth are stepping up their efforts to wage war against fatal overdoses. A new program in Central Shenandoah makes it easier for locals to stop an overdose in its tracks.

Tracy Koblish and Lydia Walker are on the front lines of the opioid epidemic in the Shenandoah Valley. They work for the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board.

“Most days I see someone coming in for services who has an opiate problem,” says Koblish, a substance abuse case manager.  She says sometimes it can be hard to tell if they even have a problem. “They might not be doing much, staying home, chain smoking, watching TV. This is when they’re pretty dependent.”

Walker works primarily with the homeless. “There’s people I can think of that are getting close to some of their last times of using. If they continue to use, they will actually die.” 

Fatal overdoses from opioids in Central Shenandoah aren’t as frequent as in other parts of the state. But considering that three Virginians die everyday from opioids, the epidemic has spurred health officials to action. A new state funded program is making it easier for people in this area to access Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal drug. Walker and Koblish are both trainers in the program. 

“I’m really excited about it because we know a number of people who’ve died from overdoses,” says Koblish. 

The free course teaches opioid users and their loved ones how to recognize an overdose and administer the drug. At the end of the training, attendees receive two free doses of Narcan from health department clinicians.

Walker informally demonstrated the various Narcan devices for reporter Jessie Knadler: An auto injector pressed against the leg, and nasal spray. “You’d put it in the nose and push the plunger,” she says. Narcan works by knocking opioids off specific brain receptors, which otherwise cause the brain to become so overwhelmed it eventually stops the heart.

So far, though, turn-out to the training sessions has been mixed. It’s a sensitive subject. One session in Harrisonburg drew 20 some people. Another in Elkton drew zero. The Health Department tries to be very specific with its messaging. It’s not “opioid addiction,” it’s “opioid use disorder.”

Dr. Laura Kornegay is health director of the Central Shenandoah Health District. “There is a lot of evidence that points to the fact that addiction is a chronic, treatable brain disease, it’s not a moral failing,” says Kornegay. 

At least one church has declined to host a session out of concern Narcan enables users. “From our perspective, it’s about saving lives in the short term,” says Dr. Kornegay. “Long term, our hope is that we can aim at prevention and treatment strategies that will address the addiction problem at the individual level.”

The state is taking more steps to tackle the epidemic. Virginians can now buy Narcan at a pharmacy without a prescription. And Medicaid now has to cover more addiction treatments. 

The pilot program is available at community service boards in Harrisonburg, Rockbridge and Augusta Counties. The next free lesson will be May 9th in Harrisonburg.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from theVirginia Education Association.

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