Four agencies in eastern and western NC received federal grants to study and enhance drug treatment options in some of the state’s rural opioid hotspots.

Four agencies in eastern and western NC received federal grants to study and enhance drug treatment options in some of the state’s rural opioid hotspots.
Health and law enforcement officials in North Carolina are trying to deal with an epidemic of opioid addiction, and they’re moving away from criminal prosecution for substance use disorders. Instead, the newer model is to coordinate care across the divide between physical and behavioral health “silos” (separate areas of service provision).
Gov. Roy Cooper came to Asheville on Thursday to proclaim September as Drug and Alcohol Recovery Month in the state and to pledge his support for efforts that would effectively increase access to treatment for substance use disorder. “Every day in North Carolina, four people die from opioid overdose,” Cooper said before reading and signing the […]
A new state law allows wider access to the drug naloxone, which can temporarily reverse overdoses. Mental health professionals, emergency responders and public health advocates have hailed the bill as an important step for protecting those using prescription opioid medications as well as illicit drugs like heroin.