With opioid overdoses on the rise, Arlington County public health officials will聽 provide fentanyl test strips in bags that are given to inmates upon release.
Health officials made the announcement on , a global event held each year to increase awareness of overdose deaths and prevention.
Fentanyl is a typically used to control severe pain. It is now the most-common drug involved in U.S. overdose deaths, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
鈥淥n average, we are identifying 20 to 25 individuals a month who meet criteria for an opioid use disorder. That number has slowly increased each month since we began to track this data, and I only expect it to keep rising,鈥� said Aubrey Graham, the county鈥檚 jail-based behavioral health manager.
鈥淲e want every single person to walk out of here with the tools and resources they need to be productive members of the community. Not everyone is in a place where they are ready to enter treatment, but if we can at least keep them safe, we have accomplished something.”
Emergency release bags already include toiletries, a Metro card, opioid treatment resources for the D.C. area and a box of NARCAN, which can reverse an opioid overdose.
Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur will also hang flyers advertising NARCAN training programs in the county鈥檚 detention center and the magistrate鈥檚 office.
鈥淛ail-based DHS staff will conduct the training and provide community members with NARCAN,鈥� county officials said.
The county will host a virtual informational .
In addition, community members can help prevent 鈥渕edication misuse overdose鈥� by disposing of unused prescription medication in any of Arlington鈥檚 four drug take-back boxes, or by requesting a free deactivation bag.
Free NARCAN is also available by emailing narcan@arlingtonva.us.
