WHSV interviewed Ellen Harrison, Executive Director of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board, about the new website VaAware.com
View the story online or read the text below:
HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — On Tuesday [November 1, 2016], Governor Terry McAuliffe announced the launch of a new website called VaAware.com.
VaAware.com was developed as an informational tool to be used in the fight against prescription drug and heroin abuse in Virginia.
The internet is an endless source of information, which can sometimes be overwhelming; VaAware.com breaks things down and links people with resources that are available in their area.
To get started, you just enter your zip code on the site and select the radius you would like it to search in.
Once the site loads your options, you can browse through the resources that are available, such as the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services Board that offers a variety of programs to those struggling with substance abuse.
“If you get too frustrated when you’re looking for something and you can’t find it or you can’t figure out what you’re supposed to do or you can’t get an appointment for six weeks, ‘well you might as well keep using’ is what goes through their mind. That’s not the best solution but you can see where it would be easy to give up. And we don’t want people to give up, we want them to come to us and come to our doors.”
Harrison added that this tool will be useful to those seeking treatment and believes it will increase the number of people they serve.
VaAware.com also features specific pages for parents, health-care providers and law enforcement members.