Chesterfield Health District offers event, resources for Fentanyl Awareness Day

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — May 7 is Fentanyl Awareness Day and Chesterfield Health District is offering tools in efforts to help end overdoses.

The Chesterfield Health District is hosting a Revive event for fentanyl awareness on Tuesday, May 7 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Midlothian Library, located at 100 Millworks Crossing. Registration for the event is online.

According to Chesterfield Health District, there has been a surge in deadly overdoses with street drugs that are laced with fentanyl.

In comparison with the state’s average , Chesterfield County and Colonial Heights have seen higher rates of:

• Deaths involving drug overdose
• Emergency room visits involving drug overdose
• Hospitalizations involving overdose

It is important to know how to be aware of the signs of an overdose and how to respond by using Naloxone.

Naloxone is an medication that can be purchased over-the-counter that reverses an overdose that could be deadly.

Jennifer Jurlando is a Medical Reserve Corps volunteer with Chesterfield Health District, who now leads Naloxone trainings. She has experienced firsthand witnessing her brother, Mark Jurlando, die to overdose.

“If the housekeeping staff had Naloxone, Mark may have survived,” Jurlando said.

According to Chesterfield Health District, nearly eight out of 10 drug overdose deaths involved fentanyl, fentanyl analogs and tramadol.

“I have three teenage sons. They’re good, smart kids,” Jurlando said. “Don’t assume your kids are too smart to take a friend’s medication for a headache or ADHD. Or that your elderly parents may forget they already took a prescription pain reliever and take it again.”

Jurlando encourages the community to attend Naloxone training to educate themselves.

“It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it,” Jurlando said. “I went to a Naloxone training because the overdose deaths in my state last year were the highest ever. Also, I frequent places that people might overdose, like libraries, parking lots, everywhere.”

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