Virginia – The Commonwealth is set to repurpose a tool instrumental in tracking COVID-19 outbreaks in a novel attempt to mitigate the escalating fentanyl crisis.
Wastewater testing, while not a fresh innovation, gained significant attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in a shift of focus, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has directed the Department of Health to devise a method for testing for fentanyl in treatment facilities.
The initiative is being spearheaded by John Littel, the Secretary of Health and Human Resources for Virginia. Littel, along with the majority of Governor Youngkin’s team, recognizes the dire extent of the crisis.
Littel stated, “Last year, 2,000 Virginians died from fentanyl poisoning and so that’s more than motor vehicle deaths and gun-related deaths combined.”
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is collaborating with local entities to develop a cost-effective approach to conducting these tests. Among the facilities poised to commence testing is one located in Roanoke.
Lacy Burnett, Wastewater Operations Manager for the Western Virginia Water Authority, expressed readiness to assist in combating this crisis, in a manner akin to their involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burnett stated, “This is a pandemic. It may not get the attention that COVID got just because of the level it’s on but it’s getting there. I think the ultimate goal of this project is just to save lives. If we can do that, to me that would be great.”
While the information yielded from wastewater testing does not present a comprehensive solution to the fentanyl crisis, many believe it marks a positive step forward. Dr. Cynthia Murrow, Director of Roanoke and Alleghany Health District, emphasizes the importance of tracking patterns.
Murrow disclosed, “One of the unfortunate realities is that the Roanoke City area is disproportionately impacted. We have one of the highest rates in the country of fatal overdoses associated with it.”
The data procured from wastewater testing can be analyzed in conjunction with other datasets collected by organizations or businesses monitoring fentanyl use.
“The department of health, the community service boards, emergency rooms, poison control centers … those are various tools that combined with wastewater tracking surveillance will tell us that there’s a spike of a kind of fentanyl or fentanyl in an area,” said Littel.
The initiative is viewed by many as an additional resource in combating the crisis, with the ultimate goal being the preservation of life.
Morrow concluded, “We’ve lost far too many lives and we want to prevent the next death. It is entirely preventable. We have the tools to do it. There’s potentially a new tool in our surveillance toolbox. To me the executive order brings light to a crisis that we know has been going on for a long time.”
