Free Community Training Teaches Life-saving Skills
More Americans died from drug overdoses last year than died while fighting the Vietnam War in its entirety. In 2016, more than 64,000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses.
The opioid epidemic is causing a dramatic increase in fatal drug overdoses.
And, for the first time in more than two decades, American life expectancy declined. Opioid overdoses contributed to this decline.
Although fewer Americans succumbed to heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia, and other ailments last year, the rate of fatal drug overdoses increased significantly. Public health experts expect that trend to continue.
In the greater Fredericksburg area, we have lost too many lives to opioids. To stem this rising tide of deaths, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board offers REVIVE! training. This free, 90-minute course teaches community members how to reverse an opioid overdose using naloxone. 
Training participants will learn how opioids affect the brain, the signs of an opioid overdose, and the important first steps to save a life.
Each attendee will receive a free REVIVE! kit provided by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The kit includes the supplies needed to administer naloxone. The opioid antidote can be purchased at pharmacies without a prescription in Virginia. The Rappahannock Area Health District will provide a free dose of naloxone to individuals who have completed the training. To receive the dose, bring proof of completion to the health department.
Upcoming REVIVE! training sessions will be held (click on the date and time to register online):
- Oct, 25, 5:30 p.m. in Rooms 201 and 202 of the RACSB’s Fredericksburg Clinic, 600 Jackson Street
- Nov. 14, 9 a.m. at the Fredericksburg Branch of Central Rappahannock Regional Library, 1201 Caroline Street
- Dec. 5, 1 p.m. at the England Run Library, 806 Lyons Boulevard in Stafford County