Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority

Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority Addressing the opioid epidemic in Virginia by funding efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid misuse.

The impact of recovery can ripple throughout an entire community.Supporting recovery can help more people participate in...
09/09/2026

The impact of recovery can ripple throughout an entire community.

Supporting recovery can help more people participate in the workforce, build financial stability, and contribute to their local economies. In turn, communities can become stronger, more resilient places to live and work.

During National Recovery Month, we’re highlighting why investing in recovery is also an investment in Virginia’s future.

09/08/2026

“This is not a time to take a victory lap.”

The opioid crisis continues to affect individuals, families, and communities across Virginia. Addressing it requires sustained commitment, coordinated action, and strategic investment in prevention, treatment, recovery, and public health.

Through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, communities are directing resources toward evidence-based efforts that address the crisis and strengthen local responses.

Recovery IS possible.

Recovery can open doors to new skills, meaningful employment, and long-term career opportunities.When Virginians have ac...
09/04/2026

Recovery can open doors to new skills, meaningful employment, and long-term career opportunities.

When Virginians have access to the resources and support they need in recovery, they have greater opportunities to participate in the workforce, build stability, and contribute their skills and talents to their communities.

This National Recovery Month, we’re recognizing the many ways investments in recovery can create opportunities that extend far beyond the individual.

09/03/2026

The opioid crisis can bring uncertainty to the families impacted by it.

Henrico County’s Kinship Navigator Program helps mitigate the unpredictability and take the pressure off families by providing direct support and resources to kinship caregivers.

When caregivers are given guidance and resources, the children feel the impact.

September is National Kinship Care Month. Across our Commonwealth, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends are quietly stepping into one of the most important roles there is — raising a child when their parents cannot.

This month, we honor these kinship caregivers and the extraordinary difference they make — one family at a time.

If you know a kinship caregiver, tell them they're seen. And if you are one, thank you.

"I can only imagine what our youth will be able to bring back to this world, once free from the chains of mental illness...
09/02/2026

"I can only imagine what our youth will be able to bring back to this world, once free from the chains of mental illness and substance use disorder." — Kerrie Laughlin, Executive Director, Northern Virginia Adolescent Treatment Center

The Northern Virginia Adolescent Treatment Center was built on the belief that a teenager's story is still being written. By providing evidence-based treatment, family engagement, and continuity of care, the center helps young people move beyond immediate challenges and toward futures defined by opportunity, growth, and possibility.

The center was made possible by a Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority award to Fairfax County, in partnership with the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Prince William County.

09/01/2026

“The foster care system is traumatic, and if there’s anything that our system can do to make it less traumatic, we should do that.”

The opioid crisis doesn’t just affect the individual; it also has long-term impacts on the children involved.

Grace Carpenter, Henrico County’s Permanency Division Manager, explains that kinship care is essential to providing comfort, stability, and familiarity to children impacted by the opioid crisis, keeping them out of the foster care system and within the care of someone they love.

An investment in kinship care is an investment toward a child’s future.
September is National Kinship Care Month. Across our Commonwealth, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends are quietly stepping into one of the most important roles there is — raising a child when their parents cannot.

This month, we honor these kinship caregivers and the extraordinary difference they make — one family at a time.

If you know a kinship caregiver, tell them they're seen. And if you are one, thank you.

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, a time to remember the lives lost to overdose, support the families a...
08/31/2026

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, a time to remember the lives lost to overdose, support the families and communities impacted, and recognize the importance of continued action.

Across Virginia, prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction efforts are helping communities respond to the opioid crisis and build pathways toward healthier futures.

Today, we honor those we have lost and reaffirm the work still ahead.

The OAA Grants Committee will hold an all-virtual meeting to review recommendations for awards to state agencies for the...
08/29/2026

The OAA Grants Committee will hold an all-virtual meeting to review recommendations for awards to state agencies for the 2026-2027 performance period on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Visit the Commonwealth Calendar for session details at the link in comments.

One of the most powerful elements of the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center's recovery program is also one of ...
08/29/2026

One of the most powerful elements of the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center's recovery program is also one of its most human: the peer recovery specialist.

These are trained, certified professionals — with lived experience. They've been in addiction. They've found their way out. So when they sit across from someone in a detention center who doubts recovery is possible, they carry a credibility no textbook can give.

"Some of them look at us and say, 'How could you possibly know? You went to school and read it in a book,'" said Rebekah Jarrell, a peer recovery specialist. "Peers can answer that directly: 'Actually, I do know exactly where you are. I know exactly how you're feeling.'"

Jarrell puts it simply — she's a sober friend. Someone who's walked the same road.

"Every person's story is different. But I went through addiction. I'm on Suboxone. It helps them to know there's someone there who gets what's going on."

That connection — unscripted, earned by nothing but shared experience — is what makes it land.

The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority is proud to support the recovery programs inside the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center — programs that offer real pathways forward for people on their recovery journey.

The OAA has posted recommendations for $12,324,558.92 in 2026-2027 awards for state agencies to support a variety of aba...
08/28/2026

The OAA has posted recommendations for $12,324,558.92 in 2026-2027 awards for state agencies to support a variety of abatement projects. For more information, visit the link at the comments.

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701 E. Franklin Street , Suite 803
Richmond, VA
23219

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