As deaths from opioid overdoses continue to rise across the Commonwealth, a Virginia Senator is hoping to see as many elected officials get trained to use an emergency treatment as possible.
Abingdon-area Senator Todd Pillion held a naloxone training session for the state’s elected officials Monday morning.
The event, managed by the state’s Department of Health, included a challenge:
“I feel like it's important that we’re all trained to administer naloxone, so this morning I challenged the House and Senate, 140 members, to get trained,” Pillion said.
Naloxone, also known by the brand-name Narcan, is a fast-acting nasal spray that can help stop an overdose from drugs like fentanyl.
Among those in attendance was Arlington-area Delegate Adele McClure. McClure has long been involved in harm reduction and naloxone administration and she was glad to see Pillion’s training session.
“I’m really excited to see this here and hopefully we can continue to work together in harm reduction efforts,” McClure told Radio IQ.
Southwest Virginia Delegate Terry Kilgore was also in attendance. It was his first exposure to such treatments, but he’s encouraging his citizens to get the training as well.
“As a society we need to stand up, especially in rural areas where the furthest hospital might be an hour away,” the delegate said.
This kind of support for harm reduction is relatively new; only in 2020 did Virginia make a safe harbor provision to protect those who call an ambulance after administering naloxone.
But Pillion says it’s a sign of a changing need: “We as members have seen the effects of it in our immediate families and in employment throughout the Commonwealth and we play a key part in making sure this doesn’t continue.”
A number of bills which further address the use of naloxone, including training for students across the state, are currently sailing through the legislature with Governor Glenn Youngkin expected to give them his okay.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
