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In This Issue
- A Note from the Naloxone Distribution Team
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New Guidance from VDH
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Program Reminders
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Distribution Data
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Upcoming Presentations
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Promising Practices
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A Note from the VDH Naloxone Distribution Team
The Division of Pharmacy Services Naloxone Distribution Team is looking forward to another year of collaboration and engagement with our wonderful partners. Thank you for the work that you do to keep our communities safe. We are excited to share this newsletter with you in the hopes that the information will be beneficial to your prevention and response efforts. We welcome your feedback!
- The Naloxone Distribution Team
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What's New?
Over-the-Counter Naloxone
The Division of Pharmacy Services has begun shipping over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone 4mg nasal spray to partners. Many of you will continue to maintain stock of and dispense prescription product after receiving the new OTC product; therefore, managing inventory is crucial as the packaging looks similar between the OTC and prescription products.
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MOU modifications are being sent to all partners that include specific language about requirements for prescription product as compared to OTC product. The new agreement will arrive in your email via DocuSign in the coming weeks.
We strongly recommend adding DocuSign (dse_NA3@docusign.net) to your contacts or safe senders list today to make sure the notification isn’t routed to your spam folder. DocuSign also allows the recipient to change signing responsibility, so you can follow the linked instructions to change the signer if needed.
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Statewide Standing Order for Naloxone
Virginia Plan for Distribution and Saturation of Naloxone
The General Assembly of Virginia recently published the Virginia Plan for Distribution and Saturation of Naloxone – 2023, a statewide plan developed by Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and Department of Corrections (DOC) for the distribution of naloxone throughout the Commonwealth.
For questions or comments about the plan, please email opioidreversal@vdh.virginia.gov.
As a Reminder...
Naloxone Distribution Program Webpage
In September 2023, VDH launched a new and improved Naloxone Distribution Webpage with resources for community partners. This webpage includes resources that are individualized to various partner types to assist you with your naloxone and/or test strip distribution programs.
The following partners are eligible to receive no-cost naloxone from VDH:
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Authorized comprehensive harm reduction sites
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Community services boards
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Local health departments
- First responders such as law enforcement agencies, fire service organizations, and licensed emergency medical services (EMS) agencies
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Public K-12 school divisions
- Recovery, Treatment and Rehabilitation Facilities
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High-impact community partners serving high-risk populations
Eligibility criteria are subject to change.
As a reminder, partners may not distribute naloxone or test strips to other partner organizations. If you know of an organization that is interested and may be eligible for an agreement with VDH for no-cost naloxone and/or test strips, please have them reach out to us at opioidreversal@vdh.virginia.gov.
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Monthly Reporting Requirements
VDH has temporarily suspended the requirement for partners to submit monthly naloxone reports, so the report form has been removed from our webpage. Please continue to maintain records and submit any other reports required by your naloxone agreement.
If VDH resumes the monthly reporting requirement, we will request aggregate data only. That is, we may ask how many kits you dispensed in a month, and in what context, but we will not ask for individual client information.
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Naloxone Distribution Data – 2023
In 2023, VDH distributed 138,960 naloxone kits to eligible partners. The chart below shows naloxone distributed by partner type in 2023.
 *Naloxone Partner Program (NPP) organizations were recategorized into Community Based Organizations and Recovery/Rehabilitation centers in September; this is why the NPP category does not show any distribution for Oct. - Dec. 2023.
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Upcoming Presentations
Naloxone Distribution Webinar for K-12 Public School Divisions
Tuesday, March 26, 2024. at 12 p.m.
The intended audience for this webinar is school board and school division level staff who are involved with naloxone programs.
If you are within the intended audience for an upcoming presentation and are interested in attending, but have not received an invite, please click the link below to email us.
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Promising Practices
Central Shenandoah Health District's Population Health Team shares their promising practices for naloxone access below:
"Over the last year, CSHD's Population Health Team has taken steps to identify what role we play in our local harm reduction ecosystem, specifically as it relates to expanding sustainable, no-cost naloxone access to our communities. Promotion of the VDH Naloxone Distribution Program has been a meaningful effort for us because it has helped to provide direct, sustainable access to no-cost naloxone for eligible community organizations that would otherwise need to rely on their local health department naloxone supply and staffing capacity for access. Here are some of our best practices:
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Frame the Naloxone Distribution Program as "a program available to secure sustainable access to naloxone for organizations directly from VDH"
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Provide brief overview of the program in all community coalition meetings (including in local Reentry Councils)
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Facilitate Naloxone Distribution Team providing virtual presentations in community coalition meetings
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Promote Naloxone Distribution Program in community REVIVE! Trainings with eligible partners
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Offer liaison support between public school systems and Naloxone Distribution Program
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Offer sample policies to public school systems navigating the development of first-ever naloxone policies
- Collaborate with other naloxone access points (I.e. Community Services Boards) to reach out to potentially eligible organizations (including human trafficking response groups)"
If your organization is interested in sharing your promising practices with the Naloxone Distribution team, we would love to hear from you! Please send us an email at the link below.
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We want to hear from you!
If you have questions or feedback, please contact the Naloxone Distribution Team.
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