As the opioid epidemic grows and reaches further into communities and families’ lives, local officials are trying to bring the issue into the spotlight.
On Thursday, SpiritWorks Foundation: Center for Recover of the Soul will host a public screening of “Heroin: The Hardest Hit,” a documentary illuminating the opioid crisis in Virginia, according to a SpiritWorks news release.
The documentary will be shown at the Williamsburg Regional Library’s theater at 6:30 p.m.
The documentary, produced by the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, gives a “personal look” into several Virginian’s stories of addiction, overdose and recovery, the release said.
SpiritWorks is a community organization focused on recovery and based in Williamsburg. The nonprofit works with those facing addiction and offers programs for both adults and children.
The Virginia Department of Health has released a report showing opioid overdoses remain the primary cause of unnatural and accidental death in the Commonwealth — hundreds more than both gun and automobile-related deaths.
In 2016, there were 1,136 fatal overdoses in Virginia.
“At this rate, we are poised to lose an entire generation,” said the Rev. Jan M. Brown, founder and executive director of SpiritWorks. “This is a problem that affects all of us.”
After the film, Brown, Community Outreach Coordinator William Shackleford Jr. and Director of Legislative and Constituent Affairs from the Attorney General’s Office Brittany Anderson will be available for discussion.
