Elle Merkle

Member

Elle Merkle is currently the Overdose Prevention Program Coordinator for the Crater Health District of the Virginia Department of Health. She has been with VDH for two years, first contributing to the Richmond Henrico Districts comprehensive guide and directory for substance use disorder, mental health treatment, and resources in the Central Virginia region. She brings decades of community organizing and outreach work in health, racial, and education equity and is a trained trust builder.

Elle has lived in several major cities on the east coast, arriving in Richmond in the late 1980s. Here she chose to take root and raise her family. Over the years, she has been a role player in healthcare, classroom teaching, low-barrier affordable housing, community justice, and a variety of causes such as returning citizen programs, LGBTQIA rights, and fighting stigma against substance use. She also serves on Inspire, the steering committee developing a provision plan for the City of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. She is the mother of three now college students, and the spouse of an employee at a prominent law firm in the city.

What does human rights mean to you?

Human rights are the basic freedoms every person should have, and many are found spelled out legislatively, be it in jurisdictional charters or global treaties. Not to be taken for granted, vigilance is up to all of us to ensure equitable treatment, barring discrimination against all by individuals and within institutions across societies.