Learn More: Community Resources

Opioid-related overdose deaths in North Carolina have doubled in the past 10 years alone, and the problem continues to grow. Learn more about Attorney General Stein and Secretary Cohen’s work to address the epidemic through the MorePowerfulNC campaign, our partners, recovery stories, and more.

To combat the opioid crisis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services worked with community partners to develop North Carolina’s Opioid Action Plan (NC OAP).

“Opioid abuse is a serious public health issue. Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Protect yourself and your loved ones from prescription drug abuse and overdose death.” – US Department of Health and Human Services

Click Here for Statewide Overdose Surveillance Reports

View a WRAL Documentary on the Opioid Epidemic, Searching for a Fix

Opioids & Overdose

Opioids reduce pain and are “downers.” They slow down breathing and can make people sleepy.

Prescribed and illegal opioids include heroin, fentanyl, OxyContin, Vicodin, codeine, methadone and morphine. Opioids like fentanyl are also showing up in other street drugs.

Anybody who takes a toxic amount of opioids can overdose. It can cause a person to stop breathing, leading to brain damage and death.

Additional resources:

In 2016, nearly 4 North Carolinians died each day from an unintentional opioid overdose. From 1999-2016, almost 11,000 North Carolinians lost their lives to unintentional opioid overdose.

To combat the opioid crisis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services worked with community partners to develop North Carolina’s Opioid Action Plan (NC OAP).

The NC OAP launched in June of 2017 and established thirteen data metrics to track and monitor the opioid epidemic. The opioid data dashboard on this site is meant to provide integration and visualization of state and county-level metrics for stakeholders across NC to track progress towards reaching the goals outlined in NC OAP. For more information on the NC OAP, click here. 

Help, Resources, and Information: National Opioids Crisis

North Carolina Data & Statistics:

Click Here for Statewide Overdose Surveillance Reports 

  1. NC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Highlights:
    • There are currently 1,974 confirmed opioid-related poisoning deaths for 2017.
    • Provisional data shows a 24.6% increase in opioid-related poisoning deaths in 2017 (1,974) compared to 2016 (1,584).
    • 44.3% of autopsies performed in 2017 have been confirmed as poisonings.
  2. NC DETECT Highlights: 
    • There were 466 opioid overdose ED visits (July 2018) compared to 534 this time last year (July 2017). The majority were white (80%), male (55%), and between the ages 25 to 34 (40%).
    • There were 350 heroin and synthetic narcotic overdose ED Visits (July 2018) compared to 376 this time last year (July 2017). The majority were white (83%), male (59%), and between the ages 25 to 34 (43%).
  3. NC Harm Reduction Coalition Highlights: 
    • There are currently 1,840 year to date opioid overdose reversals reported to NCHRC by a community member, compared to 2,164 this time last year.
    • From 8/1/2013 to 7/31/2018, NCHRC distributed 88,630 reversal kits to community members and Law Enforcement Agencies across North Carolina. Kits have now been distributed in all 100 NC counties.
    • As of 7/31/2018 there were 251 Law Enforcement Agencies carrying naloxone, covering 90 counties. From 1/1/2015 to 7/31/2018 Law Enforcement Agencies reported 1,369 opioid overdose reversals to NCHRC.

 

The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) generates multiple resources to help keep their partners informed about overdoses in North Carolina:

  • Listen to a recording of the core set of overdose data slides from December 2017.
  • Visit the IVPB Poisoning Data page for county-level data tables on opioid dispensing, as well as overdose deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits.
  • The Statewide Surveillance Reports folder contains monthly emergency department reports, monthly NC Harm Reduction data updates, and county-level overdose slide sets.
  • Quarterly updates to North Carolina’s Opioid Action Plan are available on the NC DHHS Opioid Crisis.
    • If you have additional questions about emergency department, emergency medical services (EMS), or law enforcement data please contact Sherani Jagroep at sherani.jagroep@dhhs.nc.gov.
    • For all other substance use data questions contact Mary Beth Cox at marybeth.cox@dhhs.nc.gov.

Additional Data Resources:

Local Resources for Parents and Guardians:

Additional Resources:

Resources for Pregnant Women:

Medication Disposal Event

April 27, 2019 from 10:00am – 2:00pm

 

Beyond the Opioid Epidemic: Putting Guidelines Into Practice 

May 21, 2019 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Hotel Ballast 301 N Water St
Wilmington, North Carolina 28401
This training meets the prescribing CME requirement from the North Carolina Medical Board.

Opioid Misuse & Overdose Prevention Summit

June 11 – 12, 2019

McKimmon Center at NCSU Raleigh, NC 27606

Register Here to be a part of the solution to address opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose.

  • Engagepartners in North Carolina in active learning and meaningful discussion to build momentum behind strategic activities that complement overall state and local efforts around opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose death.
  • Educateand inform North Carolina partners on evidence-based/informed, promising, and innovative policies and practices that prevent opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose.
  • Energize, challenge, and connect North Carolina partners to build consensus and rally behind policy and programmatic interventions that focus on social determinants, healthcare, harm reduction, criminal justice, and community strategies around opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose death.

Below are a few ways to get involved and help fight the opioid crisis through volunteering:

  • Cape Fear Coalition for a Drug Free Tomorrow supports the community in its commitment to change attitudes, encourage action, and mobilize stakeholders around the issues of underage drinking, impaired driving, and substance abuse.
  • Safe Kids Cape Fear strives to reduce the number of unintentional deaths and injury to children ages 0-19 years in our area through prevention, intervention, and education. The coalition promotes changes in attitudes, behavior, laws and the environment to prevent accidental injury to children. 

State Information: 

Federal Information: 

“The opioid epidemic is taking lives and tearing families apart across the country, including North Carolina. More people die in North Carolina of an accidental drug overdose – usually an opioid – than any other cause of accidental death.” – NC Department of Justice: Confronting NC’s Opioid Crisis

Navigating the Opioid Epidemic in New Hanover County

Health: 2029 S. 17th Street • Wilmington, NC 28401 • Phone 910-798-6500 • Fax 910-341-4146 • Medical Records Fax 910-772-7805
Environmental Health: 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 140 • Wilmington, NC 28403 • Phone 910-798-6667 • Fax 910-798-7815