NEW RIVER VALLEY, Va. – Southwest Virginia still struggles from the affects of the opioid epidemic, but one group in the New River Valley is ensuring to save lives and help the folks fighting addiction.
“We don’t have time for people to hit bottom anymore,” said Chris Alderman, outreach and harm reduction coordinator for New River Health District. “That used to be a thing, you’ve got to let people hit bottom. Fentanyl doesn’t allow people to hit bottom.”
The New River Health District is taking on the fight against opioids in the New River Valley through their harm reduction program Rise Above.
“I got a call from a participant that she revived seven people in Montgomery County in four days,” said Alderman. “We do have overdoses every single day. We’ve had five in our program pass away since January.”
He said their mission is simple, to give peer support, referrals for care, and harm reduction supplies.
Five days a week, they load up a van and are in different parts of the New River Valley doing just that.
“The need is definitely here, as of today we have 291 participants since January,” said Alderman. “We have got to get this information out here that we have free services for people so they can test their substances, so that they have naloxone.”
I met with two Rise Above team members who are out daily talking to people and they said their story is similar to many of the people they meet.
“I was an addict for over probably 20 years,” said Josh Tolbert.
“I was in that lifestyle for probably 18 plus years,” said Devin Perdue. “I can directly relate with each and every person we come into contact with in one way or another.”
They showed me inside their harm reduction van to see some of what they give to people. They said with their experiences, they are able to connect with folks struggling and give them a supporting hand.
“On the daily people talk about how other people talk about them,” said Tolbert. “They’re trash, they’re tweakers, they don’t want to hear that. We let them know we care, we see them. It’s more than just what we’re doing out of the van, it’s coming from our hearts.”
They said with this fight, while it’s far from over, it is important to continue to educate people and take care of our communities.