Published: 03/24/2026 | Author: Peter Lee

For people in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley, harm reduction backpacks are helping prevent opioid overdoses.

These backpacks are designed to help individuals at risk for opioid overdose and contain naloxone, a medication that can quickly reverse an overdose in an opioid overdose emergency. 

A community-based effort, Connection to Care (C2C) is at the heart of this opioid addiction outreach work, supported early on by a 2018 seed grant from the Vibrant Virginia initiative.

The effort connects universities and communities to work together on building practical solutions for local social challenges. 

While Roanoke offers several approaches to addressing opioid addiction and substance use disorders, the Connection to Care backpacks have already impacted thousands of lives and for the better.

Discover NA Meetings in Roanoke to receive peer support to help with your recovery.

Harm Reduction Backpacks Help Prevent Opioid Overdose

So far, C2C has provided backpacks for residents who might lack access to critical resources. The backpacks include essential supplies and connect recipients to addiction recovery services. Students and local volunteers play key roles in delivering the packs to those who need them most. 

What the small seed grant from Vibrant Virginia has accomplished is a far reaching response to the opioid crisis in Virginia.

Initial efforts focused on understanding substance use disorders in the Roanoke Valley and Pulaski County and emphasized first identifying local needs and building trust with community partners. 

Vibrant Virginia first partnered with the Virginia Harm Reduction Coalition and the Bradley Free Clinic. Collaboration with both organizations helped shape the program’s approach.

Together, they developed a model centered on direct outreach in the community, which made it easier to offer practical support to individuals facing opioid addiction. 

The C2C program and its outreach has resulted in over 8,000 contacts with at-risk individuals and harm reduction services or treatment support provided to more than 4,000 folks.

The program’s focus is on offering immediate help, but there’s also emphasis on creating pathways to long term recovery.

Opioid Addiction Response Expands Across Virginia

The success of C2C’s efforts in the community led to nearly $1 million in federal funding. Those dollars allowed for expansion of services and the introduction of new initiatives.

One example is Responders for Recovery, which pairs peer recovery specialists to support individuals after opioid overdoses.

The federal funding not only allows the program to offer more services, funds also help health providers, law enforcement and community organizations coordinate together.

That means more people can get help when they need it without having to wait for resources to become available.

The Vibrant Virginia backpacks illustrate how targeted funding and team effort can produce sustainable solutions to complex public health challenges. 

Find NA Meetings and Opioid Addiction Support

Don’t let a lack of resources or tight finances prevent you from starting recovery. There are many addiction treatment services in Virginia that can assist you.

Search Narcotics.com’s directory to find local Narcotics Anonymous meetings right in your community. Call today at 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate assistance.