Hundreds push for more substance abuse and mental health resources for children in Fairfax Co

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — About 450 people gathered in Fairfax County on Sunday for a rally to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl overdoses and advocate for greater access for young people to naloxone, the overdose-fighting drug.

“[Naloxone] saves lives and police officers are trained to use it – we also want to train people in school districts to use it,” said Rev. Stephen Smith-Cobbs of the nonprofit VOICE, which stands for Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, an organization with more as 50 religious and civic organizations working together to solve problems in our communities.

VOICE, which hosted the event in collaboration with Inova Health System, is also calling for the creation of a mental health crisis center for youth in Northern Virginia.

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“We believe this can really be a trendsetter that can help make a difference,” Rev. Smith-Cobbs said. He explained that the crisis intervention center would also save time for police responding to mental health calls.

The proposed center is still in its early stages, Rev. Smith-Cobbs said, working to secure funding before drawing up a construction plan that will ultimately need to be approved by the county board of supervisors. Chairman Jeff McKay was also invited to speak at the event.

“We will continue to make sure it is built and operational as quickly as possible,” McKay told the crowd.

Jorge Chavarria Rodriguez, a 16-year-old Arlington boy who died of an overdose a year ago this month, was honored at the event. His mother took the stage in the Fairfax County High School auditorium, images of him on the screen behind her.

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“He was very happy, happy all the time,” Luz Rodriguez told 7News. “When he was here in life, it was very gratifying to see him smiling all the time.” But now that it's here in pictures, it's sad, but it's also nice to see [him] smiling.”

Luz attends events like this to share her son's story and warn parents about the dangers of fentanyl. She said another teen unknowingly gave him half a pill laced with fentanyl.

“Even half a pill can be fatal,” she said.

Luz hopes the planned multimillion-dollar crisis intervention center comes to fruition.

“It can help other children and I don't want another mother to lose a child and have these feelings,” she said.