Henrico making overdose-reversal drug naloxone available free at 6 county facilities
Henrico County is making the lifesaving drug naloxone available at no cost in five facilities countywide and one in New Kent County, in an effort to help reduce overdose deaths and to support people in recovery from opioid addiction.
Empower Henrico Distribution Cabinets, which can hold up to 10 boxes of naloxone, have been installed at six locations:
• Libbie Mill Library, 2100 Libbie Lake East Street;
• Fairfield Area Library, 1401 North Laburnum Avenue;
• Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, 10299 Woodman Road;
• Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, 2010 Bremo Road, Suite 122;
• Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services – East Center, 3908 Nine Mile Road;
• Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, 9403-A Pocahontas Trail in Providence Forge.
The pilot project is being led by the Empower Henrico Task Force with Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services and Henrico County Public Library. It’s being funded by allocations made to the county from opioid litigation settlements; Henrico received $17,986 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority and contributed an additional $5,000 in settlement funds made directly to the county.
People are encouraged to take a box of naloxone if they or someone they know is at risk of an opioid overdose. Each box has two doses of naloxone. People should take only one box per visit, since supplies are limited.
“By making this easy-to-use, lifesaving drug readily accessible – anonymously, at no cost and no questions asked – we’re empowering our community to save the life of a friend or a loved one if the need arises,” said Michael Y. Feinmel, Henrico’s deputy county manager for Public Safety and co-chair of the Empower Henrico Task Force. “This pilot project is part of our community’s comprehensive strategy to reduce overdose deaths and to create a culture that’s focused on support and recovery.
“We look forward to this effort expanding to more locations over the next few years and are grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Virginia Department of Health and Westwood Pharmacy. Bringing two libraries into this effort further demonstrates our leaders’ commitment to building and strengthening a culture of recovery.”
Overdoses killed 50 Henricoans in 2024
Naloxone, which is available without a prescription at pharmacies, is administered as a nasal spray and is effective in reviving someone who has overdosed on opioids. While its effects are temporary, naloxone provides critical minutes for caregivers to call 911.
Included in each box is a flyer with a QR code for a video that explains naloxone and how to administer it. A separate QR code links to a survey by Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, which serves Henrico, New Kent and Charles City counties. Responses may be submitted anonymously and will remain confidential.
In addition to the new cabinets, Henrico’s efforts to reduce overdose deaths and to promote recovery are being strengthened with the construction of a 60-bed recovery and treatment center on the campus of the Eastern Government Center, on Nine Mile Road. The facility is expected to begin construction in the next few weeks and open in the fall.
While the number of overdose deaths has dropped sharply from its peak in 2021, opioids, particularly fentanyl, remain a significant threat to public health, according to county officials, claiming 50 lives in Henrico and 1,066 lives throughout Virginia in 2024, according to state data.
Though naloxone and other overdose reversing drugs are effective in reducing the impact of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, those affected by opioid addiction also need treatment, support and recovery, and Empower Henrico aims to help connect them with those resources, too.
For details, visit the task force’s website.
