April 6th-11th is National Public Health Week (NPHW). Every year during the first full week of April, NPHW serves as an opportunity to highlight priority issues in public health and celebrate public health work across the nation.

Autism, Mental Health, and Substance Use World Autism Awareness Day (April 2nd) and Autism Awareness Month (April) were created to increase the understanding of autism and the experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum.

March is Women’s History Month- this milestone offers an annual reminder to celebrate and recognize the achievements and strengths of women in our communities. Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance selects a theme to guide conversations and celebrations throughout the month. This year, the theme for Women’s History Month is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.”

Southwest Virginia is connected to the rest of the country by major highways like I-81 and I-77. These roads don’t just move people around, but they also play a role in how illegal substances move from larger cities into our smaller towns and rural areas. Because of this, changes in the drug supply that start in big cities often reach Appalachian communities later.

Over the past month, Rise Above and community partners in the New River Valley have hosted a series of eight community forums at each of our local libraries. Forums have included panels of healthcare providers, people with lived experience, and people working in the Recovery Ecosystem.

Conversations about substance use often follow a pattern. A new drug appears, the community is concerned, and the focus quickly turns to stopping that substance before it causes more harm. Over the years, the names have changed: prescription opioids, heroin, fentanyl, xylazine… but the cycle remains the same.

On January 15, we celebrate National Hat Day. Though it is an informal, light-hearted observance, it can symbolize the assistance we can offer our community. Whether it’s a baseball cap, beanie, or fedora, hats tend to say something about who we are or how we’re feeling that day. In that way, National Hat Day offers a fitting metaphor for recovery, whether from substance use, mental health challenges, or both.

January is Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month, which offers us an opportunity to reflect on available treatment options and to embrace recovery in all of its forms.

Acta non verba translates to “actions, not words”, a phrase often associated with community service and one that is frequently heard throughout the recovery community.

Words matter and language carries power. The way people speak about substance use, recovery, and community shapes how individuals are perceived and how they receive support.

Every year on December 10, we recognize Human Rights Day. The day is a reminder that every person deserves safety, respect, and the chance to live a healthy life. This year the observance carries more weight as conversations about mental health and substance use continue to grow.

This month, we honor adoptees who turn adversity into advocacy, many of whom become mentors, counselors, or champions for others walking similar paths. Their experiences remind us that healing is not a straight line, but a journey made possible through compassion, understanding, and connection.

For many in our region, this time of remembrance can also stir feelings about loved ones lost to substance use. The New River Valley and surrounding areas have felt the deep impact of addiction, and behind every statistic is a person who was part of someone’s family, someone’s story, and someone’s heart.

Prevention science highlights the importance of protective factors, conditions that buffer against risk and support healthy youth development. In schools, these protective factors are especially powerful because they are intertwined into the daily lives of young people. By intentionally strengthening these supports, schools not only reduce the likelihood of problem behaviors such as substance use, bullying, or absenteeism but also promote resilience, positive mental health, and academic success.

To contribute to ongoing anti-stigma work and to elevate the voices of people with lived experience, our partners across the New River Valley began a collaborative project to share personal stories of people with histories of substance use.

At the heart of every Peer Center is a simple but powerful idea: recovery grows in community. These centers offer more than just resources—they provide a safe place to learn, connect, relax, and rediscover interests and skills to apply to a life in recovery.

This fall, students at New River Community College will have access to the school’s brand new collegiate recovery space. Located in Godbey Hall, the Connection Center is open to all students. Chad Fox, the Recovery Program Specialist of NRCC, explained how a key goal of the new space is to reduce stigma through community building on campus.

Just Say Know (JSK) is a science-based substance-use prevention program aimed at teen and pre-teen audiences facilitated by college students and recent graduates.

Mobile outreach is a gold standard in community health. It’s built on a simple but powerful idea: meet people where they are.

Spending time in nature can reduce stress, improve sleep, and boost overall wellbeing. Research shows it helps lower cortisol (a stress hormone), calms the nervous system, and provides a mental break from the constant stimulation of modern life.

The InStill team has quadrupled in size since moving to Pulaski at the beginning of 2023 when the group began developing a robust Peer Recovery program after consulting with community members. This program has now served well over 100 people and is beginning to change the way substance use and homelessness are treated in Pulaski.