Tools for Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use
Mental health and substance use are of great concern for many people in the Roanoke City & Alleghany Health Districts (RCAHD). In this newsletter's recent survey about non-COVID health issues, 40% of you ranked these topics as your top health priority for our community. RCAHD staff are committed to improving the public’s health through the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. Priority strategies to accomplish this include the prevention of overdoses and promotion of smoking cessation.
Overdose Prevention: RCAHD offers education and resources for overdose prevention through workshops to increase the number of residents who know how to recognize and respond to drug overdoses, as well as through offering naloxone (overdose-reversing medication), fentanyl test strips, and drug disposal kits to residents.
While we work with community partners to prevent people from developing substance use disorder (SUD) and encouraging those residents who use drugs to get the support that they need, we are also working to prevent overdose deaths.
Smoking Cessation: Smoking remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, killing more than 480,000 Americans each year. Quit Now Virginia offers free and confidential counseling in English and Spanish to help tobacco and nicotine (vape pen, e-cigarette) users to quit their addiction.
How can I obtain naloxone or learn more about substance use disorder?
Does Virginia offer any services to help me or a loved one quit tobacco?
