ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - Two police chiefs in Virginia are encouraging residents who suffer from drug addiction to get treatment after as their city and county experienced an uptick in deaths from overdoses this year.
According to the Roanoke Times, 18 people have died from a drug overdose in the city of Roanoke so far this year, an increase from the 26 total overdose deaths recorded last year. In neighboring Roanoke County, the number of deaths from opioid overdoses have doubled compared to last year.
The rise in the death toll is “definitely something that caught our eye,” Roanoke Police Chief Sam Roman told the Roanoke Times.
Both Roman and Roanoke County Police Chief Howard Hall are now looking for ways to decrease the number of overdoses among their residents by raising awareness about health treatment services.
“We are open,” said Debbie Bonniwell, CEO of Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare in Roanoke. “We want to make sure folks know that and aren’t out there suffering in silence.”
The healthcare organization provides same-day access to substance abuse and mental health services during the virus outbreak. It has also expanded it’s virtual treatment options.
“We want families to know the resources haven’t gone away,” said Nancy Hans, director of the Prevention Council of Roanoke. Services, including narcotics anonymous meetings and training on how to administer drugs that prevent opioid overdoses, are being made available online throughout the state.
“We may need to do it a little differently and think outside the box but we can still reach out and still connect with people,” Hans said.
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