Wed, May 10 was Fentanyl Awareness Day. Today there were numerous press articles about the record number of opioid deaths last year (WP article). Last week, Alexandria City sent a press release about youth overdoses in Northern Virginia from counterfeit Percocet that contained fentanyl, and also recognized the first Fentanyl Awareness Day. There also have been cases of fentanyl being found in counterfeit pills including Ritalin and Adderall (see story about OSU students who died after taking pills).

Please reach out to Yorktown High School parent Jim Dooley at narcan@arlintonva.us to learn how to use Narcan (which is the only way to reduce an opioid overdose) or fentanyl test strips. Visit the Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative website for more local resources and information. You can also reach out to your school’s Substance Abuse Counselor with any questions.