Lives saved!

Last week, the VA Department of Health released preliminary data that shows the hard work of all advocates is truly making meaningful change. The data reports that 2018 saw a nearly 40% reduction in overdose deaths in Fairfax!! Neighboring counties where we operate have also projected significant decreases in 2018 totals. Keep in mind these numbers are not official until Spring*

In 2018 The Chris Atwood Foundation received a large grant from Fairfax County for our overdose reversal program, R.O.P.E (Reverse Overdose, Prevent, and Educate) enabling us to triple our outreach in the county. Our outreach includes education on how to identify someone who is in active overdose, how to reverse an overdose using Naloxone, how to dispose of unused medication using a medication deactivation pouch, and steps to help someone into long term recovery from substance use disorder.

We are not the only ones working towards this goal, and certainly many factors have contributed to these encouraging numbers. We are thrilled to see that all our collective efforts are paying off and SAVING LIVES.

Thank you so much to all our amazing volunteers and trainers who pack kits and go out week after week to bring life-saving Naloxone into the community. Thank you to our staff and board for their dedication to this work, and to our donors for making so much of it possible. Thank you also to the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board for their partnership to drive down overdose rates in our community.

Let's make 2019 even better!

To view our Naloxone training schedule, click here.