Richmond sees record opioid overdose deaths amid the pandemic
In 2019, there was a record 113 fatal opioid deaths in the city, according to Julie Karr, the Opioid Coordinator for the Richmond City and Henrico Health Districts. In 2000 that number climbed to 203. Karr said the highest surge was right around the time restrictions kicked in in the spring.
By: Shannon Lilly
and last updated 2021-07-16 20:04:52-04
RICHMOND, Va. Following a record high year in 2019 for fatal opioid overdoses in the Richmond, health officials said that number doubled in 2020.
Julie Karr, the Opioid Coordinator for the Richmond City and Henrico Health Districts, said the number of overdose deaths had been climbing since 2014, with higher rates in Richmond than in other parts of the state. But in 2020, those numbers skyrocketed.
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John Freyer with the Free Naloxone Bike (Photo by Steven Casanova)
Itâs hard to miss John Freyer as he rides through the city on a teal electric-assist bicycle. His destination? Teaching Richmonders how to save lives.
On the front of his bike, inside a wooden crate, are dozens of boxes of Narcan, a brand of naloxone, a lifesaving opioid reversal medication that can be easily administered as a nasal spray.
Freyer, an associate professor of cross-disciplinary media at VCU Arts, gives out the Narcan and demonstrates how to administer it properly on a CPR mannequin that he places on a board attached to the back of his bike.