ROANOKE, Va. – Every day five Virginians will die of fentanyl poisoning, according to the State’s Department of Health.
This startling statistic is why state leaders, like Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, are working to educate people about the synthetic opioid with a new campaign, It Only Takes One.
“So much we are dealing with we cannot prosecute our way out of this crisis. We need prevention we need education,” said Miyares.
“There’s no single bullet that is going to fix the problem of depression, substance use disorder, a lot of the challenges Virginians face today, but we just want to move the needle on awareness,” said Youngkin.
The campaign is specifically targeting Roanoke with multimedia messages and a website, connecting people to addiction and mental health resources, Narcan training sessions and ways to talk to your children about the dangers of fentanyl.
[WATCH: Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin announces fentanyl awareness campaign launch]
Roanoke is the target of this campaign as the city represents 2.8% of fentanyl-related deaths in the commonwealth, despite only making up 1.2% of Virginia’s population.
“We thought it was so important to come here and flood the Roanoke area with resources. It only takes one, that’s the message we want so many parents to have those conversations with those kids. It literally could save a life,” said Miyares.
A step in the right direction after years of struggling with addiction herself, Christine Wright, who now works with Roanoke’s Bradley Free Clinic, is happy to be sharing her story as a part of this campaign.
“It means a glimpse of hope for children at a young age. Spreading the education and the knowledge, not only to children but to parents and grandparents who might find themselves fighting this battle someday in the future,” said Wright.
Youngkin said she and her team will have boots on the ground in Roanoke every month for the next six months to continue pushing this new campaign.