Opioids are a ‘huge’ problem in Prince William: Resources and training are available to combat the epidemic

MANASSAS PARK — The somber message from everyone involved with the drug epidemic resonated clearly: Opioid addiction continues to be a growing problem in the Prince William County area that cuts across all demographic distinctions, costing lives and wreaking havoc in its wake.

More than 80 people gathered Nov. 17 at the Manassas Park Community Center to assess the scope of the current opioid crisis as well as ways to combat it. They heard from law enforcement officers, health care professionals, elected officials and people whose lives have been devastated by opioid drugs.

All agreed: The crisis is increasing, it will take a concerted effort to stop it, and people need to learn the signs of drug abuse so they can intercede when it happens.

“We have to get this out of the shadows; we have to get this out in the open,” said state Rep. John Bell, a Democrat who represents Loudon County. “Our futures depend on it.”

Bell speaks from experience. His son, Josh Bell, is a recovering opioid addict. After a car accident, the younger Bell came home with a painkiller and five refills — and by the time he finished the prescription, he was addicted. That led to a seven-year odyssey that has included heroin use and multiple stints in rehabilitation.

“It’s a tough journey,” said Bell, a retired Air Force officer. “It continues to be a struggle today.”

Grim Statistics

Nationwide, opioid overdoses led to more than 42,000 deaths in 2016, more than any previous year on record, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And about 40 percent of those overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid.

On average, the Centers for Disease Control estimate that 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.

In Virginia, more people die from drug overdoses than car crashes. In 2017, there were 1,445 opioid-related overdose deaths from all sources, according to the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse. There were more than 10,000 emergency room visits for opioid and heroin overdoses.

The situation is so dire that former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) declared the opioid crisis a statewide emergency in 2016. The federal government followed suit, declaring it a public health emergency in 2017.

The opioids behind the current crisis breakdown into two categories:

• Prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and codeine.
• Illegal opioids, including heroin, which is made from morphine, as well as fentanyl, a synthetic drug that can be made illegally and mixed with heroin.

While an addiction may begin with a prescription, as in the case of Bell’s son, it can lead to illegal drug use. It’s often a matter of economics, law enforcement officials said, because it’s cheaper and easier to get heroin than prescription opioids.

Opioids prevalent in Prince William

In Prince William County, the problem is “huge,” said 1^st Sgt. Kenneth Hulsey of the Prince William County Police Department.

“You can buy heroin and opioids on the streets as much as you can buy marijuana. It’s pretty prevalent,” Hulsey said. He spoke at the event sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Prince William Area, Prince William County Community Services and the Lifelong Learning Institute of Manassas.

What Hulsey and other officials have seen locally follows the pattern of the epidemic nationwide. It began in the 1990s, when opioid prescriptions increased after pharmaceutical companies said the drugs were not addictive. Since then, overdose deaths involving those prescriptions have continued to rise, according to the CDC.

Then the illegal drugs began to factor into the situation. Beginning in 2010, heroin-related deaths increased. That was followed, beginning in 2013, with significant increases in overdose deaths from synthetic opioids – particularly those involving illegally manufactured fentanyl.

What may have started with a medical prescription can spiral out of control into addiction, said Katrina King, a Prince William resident whose personal story of opioid addiction was featured in the FBI’s “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict” documentary.

“It can happen to anyone — because it has happened to everyone,” said King, who lost her daughter to an opioid overdose and who spent time in jail because of her own addiction. She now dedicates her time to helping others through the organization she founded, Recovered Purpose.

King and others who spoke at the event said it would take a two-pronged effort to combat the opioid epidemic: helping those who are already addicted while simultaneously preventing others from becoming addicted in the first place. That will require the combined efforts of the law enforcement officials and health care providers on the front lines, but also the support of everyone from parents who need to recognize the warning signs of drug abuse to elected officials who can enact policies to help alleviate the problem.

“We cannot arrest our way out of this,” said Bell. “This is a disease, and it’s everywhere.”

Addiction resources and upcoming Narcan training

There are dozens of community organizations throughout Virginia offering assistance to anyone suffering from addiction, which can be located at https://hardesthitva.com/resources/.

In Prince William County, contact:

• Prince William County Community Service Board provides emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In Manassas, call (703) 792-7800, or in Woodbridge, call (703) 792-4900.
• Families Anonymous at 8201 Ashton Avenue in Manassas, (703) 928-9385.

In addition, Virginia offers an education program called “REVIVE!” that trains people to be prepared for, recognize and respond to an opioid overdose emergency by administering naloxone — in the form of the Narcan nasal spray — an antidote that can reverse an opioid overdose. In 2017, Narcan was administered 4,533 times across the state.

There are several upcoming REVIVE trainings in Prince William County. Two will be held at the McCoart Building, 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge, VA 22192:

• Nov. 28, 7-8:30 p.m.
• Dec. 12, 7-8:30 p.m.

A third training will be held at the Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Suite 180, Woodbridge, VA 22191:

• Dec. 6, 7-8:30 p.m.For more information about any of the local REVIVE trainings, contact Heather Martinsen at 703-792-7739 or [email protected].