HENRICO COUNTY, V.a.-- The opioid crisis continues to have a grip on Virginia, and it's a crisis that has increasingly little bias towards its victims ages.
The CDC says from July 2019 to December 2021, the number of monthly adolescent overdose deaths in the U.S. increased 65 percent.
Wednesday night, the Henrico Too Smart 2 Start Coalition will be holding a townhall to help raise awareness for the youngest members of those struggling in the opioid battle.
Terrell Pollard has worked with Henrico Too Smart 2 Start for 5 years, and he says Wednesday's Youth Opioid Awareness Townhall will feature of panel of prominent former athletes, current athletes, coaches, mental health professionals, and medical professionals.
The speakers will be talking about their personal experiences, including some of circumstances that may lead some youth to opioid misuse, ways to cope, and they’ll also give them skills to avoid the addiction altogether.
Pollard notes our brains aren’t fully developed until age 25, so these are critical years for high schoolers to make the best choices possible.
"We want it to be an exchange of information," said Pollard. "This is a conversation that we do not want to be one way because our job as a coalition is to make sure that we have in difficult conversations and to help spur conversations within our schools and within our households, so we're making the best decisions possible."
Richmond Elite Academy, Henrico Area Mental Health - Prevention Services, and Henrico County Public Schools are all joining forces with Henrico Too Smart 2 Start for Wednesday night's event that runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Rchmond Elite Academy in Mechanicsville.
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