Report: Richmond area lost over $1B to Virginia's opioid crisis
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The Richmond area lost more than $1 billion to the opioid epidemic in 2023, per a new report from VCU and the Virginia Department of Health.
Why it matters: It's a major chunk of the state's total opioid-related costs, showing how concentrated the crisis' toll has been in the region — even as fatal overdoses continue to fall.
The big picture: Researchers tallied the economic hit to local communities by looking at:
- Lost wages and health care costs from opioid use.
- Government spending to support the children and families affected by the drug crisis.
- And the criminal justice expense from opioid-related arrests and incarcerations.
Between the lines: Families absorb more than half of those costs, but the report found that all Virginians are affected in some way, whether it be through higher health premiums or lost tax revenue.
What they found: Richmond city continues to bear the state's highest total costs due to the opioid epidemic.
- That's unchanged from their previous 2021 analysis.
- But while Chesterfield and Henrico saw a smaller economic impact in 2023 compared to 2021, Richmond and Hanover recorded increases.
By the numbers: The statewide opioid-related cost in 2023 was $5.2 billion. Richmond accounts for $526 million of that total, or about $2,284 per resident — the second highest per capita spending in the state.
- Henrico: $263 million, or $784 per resident.
- Chesterfield: $205 million, or $532 per resident.
- Hanover: $70 million, or $602 per resident.
What they're saying: The financial and emotional toll remains staggering, but researchers say expanded access to preventative care and treatment is saving lives.
- That care includes combining medication for opioid use disorder with recovery supports, investing in school-based programs for kids affected by parental opioid use, and distribution programs for Narcan and fentanyl test strips.
- "Our study asks, 'How can we afford not to improve our opioid response?'" researchers wrote.
Meanwhile, Virginia saw the second-largest drop in overdose deaths in the country last year, according to preliminary CDC data.
- But localities with higher poverty rates, like Richmond and Petersburg, continue to face the steepest per-person costs, per VDH and VCU researchers.
What we're watching: How state and local officials decide to spend the $1 billion Virginia is receiving from opioid settlement funds over the next several decades.