Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, REVIVE! is the Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education program for the Commonwealth of Virginia. REVIVE! provides training to professionals, stakeholders, and others on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose emergency with the administration of naloxone. REVIVE! is a collaborative effort led by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, working alongside the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Health Professions, recovery community organizations such as the McShin Foundation, OneCare of Southwest Virginia, the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia, and other stakeholders. Virginia has been severely impacted by opioid abuse, particularly the abuse of prescription drugs. In 1999, the first year for which such data is available, approximately 23 people died from abuse of fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, and oxycodone, the leading prescription opioids abused, commonly referred to as FHMO. By 2013, the most recent year for which complete data is available, 386 individuals died from the abuse of FHMO, an increase of 1,578 percent, with fentanyl being the primary substance fueling this increase. In 2013 alone, there was an increase of more than 100 percent in deaths attributed to fentanyl use.…”