Pulaski County hires Director for the Office of Drug Prevention and Recovery
Katie Thompson Joins Pulaski County to Serve as the Director for the new
Office of Drug Prevention and Recovery
(Pulaski, Virginia) October 15, 2024 – The County of Pulaski, Virginia officially names Katie Thompson as the first Director for the Office of Drug Prevention and Recovery. Her new and unique role will be to comprehensively oversee the drug prevention, recovery and restoration efforts in our community. Participating localities within the Commonwealth have been issued an allotment of settlement funds facilitated through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA), dedicated to abate and remediate the effects of opioids. The County will fund the new office with settlement monies handed down by the OAA. The Board of Supervisors’ purpose of the County’s Office of Drug Prevention and Recovery is to meet folks where they are and serve them with drug prevention programing, tools and resources they need; to work more effectively with our various community, non-profit and NGOP partners on prevention, recovery and restoration; and, to provide a greater level of acute focus and accountability with respect to the variety of programs and services that fall within these areas.
“Pulaski County is excited to have created this new specialized department to help tackle an array of challenges and combat the effects opioids have had on our community, with sincere hopes of shifting the trajectory of lives and legacies of our citizens in need”, stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “Equally as important to properly setting up this new office, is hiring the right person for this role. We believe Katie Thompson is this person, and her education, experience and her heart for this work will surely make a positive difference in the lives of many of our community members in need of assistance.”
Katie Thompson is a native and current resident of Pulaski County. Katie holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies – High Incidence Disabilities from Radford University and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Mary Baldwin College. She has extensive experience in a wide variety of programs providing services to youth and families across the New River Valley.
“I am excited to move into this new, impactful role within my hometown, and I look forward to joining the many amazing service providers in a collaborative, active, and responsive approach to addressing the Opioid Epidemic”, stated Katie Thompson. “I am humbled to be a part of Pulaski County’s efforts to strengthen and support prevention and recovery services within our county and to ensure this is the best place to live, work and grow now and for generations to come”
The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) is an independent body, the purpose of which is to abate and remediate the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth through financial support from the Fund, in the form of grants, donations, or other assistance, for efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioids in the Commonwealth of Virginia.