Prince William County Launches Youth Fentanyl Overdose Prevention Campaign

Today, Prince William County launched Fentanyl Exposed, a fentanyl overdose prevention campaign targeting at-risk youth and young adults in the greater Prince William County area. The campaign seeks to empower and educate young people about the risks and dangers of fentanyl-laced substances, such as illicit pills and powders, while providing critical knowledge on how to reduce the risk of a fatal overdose. Fentanyl Exposed is the first campaign in Prince William County to provide fentanyl prevention messaging specifically for teens.   

Fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, causes more deaths among people under 50 in the United States than cancer, heart disease, suicide, homicide and accidents, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl is everywhere and use of the deadly, synthetic opioid in the greater Prince William County area has been on the rise since 2018. 

The Fentanyl Exposed campaign features the following:

• A teen-centered website that includes key information about the risks of fentanyl, ways to prevent overdose and overdose death.
• A social media campaign that will reach teens on frequented and relevant channels with fentanyl and naloxone educational information.

“We recognize there is an urgent need to bring to light the dangers of fentanyl in our community. We are taking proactive measures to inform teens and their families about the dangers of fentanyl-laced substances. The Fentanyl Exposed campaign materials aim to educate teens on overdose prevention and how medication, such as naloxone, can help reverse a fentanyl overdose,” said New Horizons Behavioral Health Program Manager and campaign spokesperson, Tanya Odell. “By raising awareness and sharing educational resources, the greater Prince William County area community can collectively combat the fentanyl crisis and stop overdose deaths.”

New Horizons is a Community Services program that provides services to youth and their families in the greater Prince William County area.

For more information on the dangers of fentanyl and what to do in an overdose, visit the campaign website at FentanylExposed.com or watch the videos below:

• Could You Spot an Overdose? (30 seconds)
• Could You Spot an Overdose? (15 seconds)
• Four Easy Steps to Save a Life from Fentanyl Overdose: (15 seconds)

Additional resources and information, including training for how to use naloxone, the life-saving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose, can also be found at https://www.pwcva.gov/department/community-services/naloxone-education.

The Fentanyl Exposed campaign was developed in partnership with Rescue, the Behavior Change Agency. Funding for the campaign is through Prince William County and the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority.