[{"id":5586,"date":"2026-10-27T12:43:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T16:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/social-work\/?p=5586"},"modified":"2026-10-27T12:43:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T16:43:51","slug":"lifesavers-naloxone-training-for-opioid-overdoses-continues-social-work-focus-on-addiction-and-substance-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/social-work\/2026\/10\/27\/lifesavers-naloxone-training-for-opioid-overdoses-continues-social-work-focus-on-addiction-and-substance-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifesavers: Naloxone training for opioid overdoses continues social work focus on addiction and substance use"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A
Kelly Fugate of VCU’s Rams in Recovery, far left, leads a naloxone training session for the School of Social Work.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Building on previous learning and training opportunities around addiction and substance use, the VCU School of Social Work<\/a>, the Institute for Research on Behavioral and Emotional Health<\/a> (IRBEH) and Rams in Recovery<\/a> recently provided a targeted session on how to use a lifesaving medical treatment for opioid overdoses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 20 social work students and staff attended the October event, focused on the medication, naloxone, which is more commonly known by its brand name, Narcan. Naloxone rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. Data from the Virginia Department of Health showed a 43% decrease in opioid overdose deaths<\/a> from 2023 to 2024, thanks in part to harm-reduction resources like naloxone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A grant from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to VCU\u2019s IRBEH supported the training for social work students. The grant helps IRBEH strengthen Virginia\u2019s behavioral health workforce by preparing social workers and peer recovery specialists to support individuals and families affected by substance use disorders. Rams in Recovery, founded in 2013, is a Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) on VCU\u2019s Monroe Park Campus and the largest CRP in Virginia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough this grant, we’re connecting research and education to practice, helping students develop evidence-based skills that strengthen Virginia’s behavioral health workforce and support healthier communities,\u201d says <\/strong>Karen Chartier,<\/strong><\/a> Ph.D., social work professor and the director of IRBEH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specialty certifications for students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two initiatives have utilized social work faculty expertise and cross-discipline collaborations to better prepare social work students, and those in related majors, for roles in counseling and substance use and recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fast Track to CSAC (Certified Substance Abuse Counselor) program requires students to take the naloxone training as part of their coursework, and it provides participants with priority registration for their coursework and field placements relevant to substance use and addiction. Because social workers make up the backbone of behavioral health workers in Virginia, they are better prepared by understanding the theory, evidence-based interventions and resources available to address substance use disorders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fast Track to CSAC is led by a team that includes Chartier; Daniel Baslock<\/strong><\/a>, Ph.D., social work assistant professor; Rebecca Smith<\/strong><\/a>, Ph.D., social work research instructor; and Lauren de Treveille Powell<\/strong><\/a>, Ed.D., program coordinator for Rams in Recovery. The certification comes from the Virginia Board of Counseling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Headshots
From left, Daniel Baslock, Karen Chartier, Rebecca Smith and Lauren de Treveille Powell. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Peer Recovery Specialist course of study, in partnership with Rams in Recovery, is a social work class available to undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines that provides certification through the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, preparing students to pass a certification exam. \u201cRecovery is so individual,\u201d says Powell,<\/strong> the course instructor.<\/a> \u201cThe course covers both substance use disorder and a spectrum of mental illness or mental health challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing community members to respond<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Powell\u2019s Rams in Recovery colleague, Kelly Fugate<\/strong><\/a>, B.F.A., CPRS, is a peer recovery support coordinator who led the October naloxone training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNarcan training is essential because it helps put lifesaving medication directly into the hands of community members while educating people about overdose response, harm reduction and substance use,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"An
Kelly Fugate demonstrates with a “manikin.”<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Boxes
Free naloxone was provided.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fugate demonstrated resuscitation techniques with a \u201cmanikin\u201d \u2013 a medical simulator \u2013 and distributed free doses of naloxone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncreasing access to Narcan and equipping people with the knowledge and confidence to respond to an overdose can save lives and help reduce the stigma surrounding addiction,\u201d she says. \u201cWith an unpredictable and increasingly contaminated drug supply, people may not always know what substances they or others have taken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnsuring that students, faculty and staff know how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose is an important step toward creating a safer, more informed and compassionate campus community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rams in Recovery has upcoming training sessions<\/a> Oct. 28, Nov. 13 and Dec. 2, and training can also be requested for a class or group.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaking Narcan more accessible and providing overdose response education has made an enormous impact,\u201d says Fugate, who has conducted naloxone training for two years and who joined Rams in Recovery in 2025. \u201cEvery training creates an opportunity for someone to recognize an overdose, respond with confidence and potentially save a life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a result, opioid overdose deaths are substantially declining. The impact extends beyond the individual receiving the training to the friends, families and communities they may one day help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: From VCU News<\/h3>\n\n\n\n