drug overdose

man wearing mask sits behind desk with naloxone kits in a line in front of him

COVID-19 stressors fuel surge in overdoses of contaminated street drugs

February 5, 2021 by Liora Engel-Smith

COVID-19 stressors fuel surge in overdoses of contaminated street drugs - North Carolina Health News

We talked to health workers on the front lines of the opioid epidemic across the state to hear how the coronavirus pandemic has affected people who use drugs.

By Taylor Knopf and Liora Engel-Smith Though attention has shifted to combating the coronavirus pandemic, the opioid crisis in North Carolina has not gone away. The stressors caused by COVID-19 — such as homelessness and job loss — have contributed to an increase in drug overdoses in the last year. North Carolina saw a spike […]

shows a large envelope with drawings on it, inside the flap are taped four strips of Suboxone wrapped in plastic wrap.

Overdoses are on the rise. Is it time to provide medication assisted treatment in NC prisons?

August 25, 2020 by Hannah Critchfield

Overdoses are on the rise. Is it time to provide medication assisted treatment in NC prisons? - North Carolina Health News

COVID-19 stalled the expansion of medication assisted treatment into NC’s prisons, but the demand for it is just as high -- if not increasing.

By Hannah Critchfield The agency that runs North Carolina’s prisons has a Flickr account. It’s littered with pictures of contraband confiscated from people incarcerated across its 55 facilities: pounds of tobacco, cell phones, marijuana in a shoe. There are also photos of hundreds of Suboxone strips. Suboxone strips aren’t like other illicit drugs — they’re […]

Two glass vials that say "Naloxone HCL" and two wrapped syringes rest on a metal shelf at a needle exchange facility. In the background is a paper instructions on using the medication to reverse an opioid overdose

NC organizations fighting the rural opioid crisis receive a $4M federal boost

August 14, 2020 by Liora Engel-Smith

NC organizations fighting the rural opioid crisis receive a $4M federal boost - North Carolina Health News

Four agencies will tackle the opioid crisis in rural North Carolina with $1 million grants from the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

By Liora Engel-Smith Amid signs that the state is losing ground in its battle against the opioid crisis, four North Carolina agencies on the front lines of addiction and recovery have received $1 million apiece to address the issue in rural areas. Two recipients of the recent federal Department of Health and Human Services grants […]

woman walks down sidewalk with the help of a walker. She has chronic pain

A doctor’s tweet, a mother’s complaint, a loss for chronic pain patients.

March 10, 2020 by Taylor Knopf

A doctor’s tweet, a mother’s complaint, a loss for chronic pain patients. - North Carolina Health News

An outspoken doctor loses his ability to prescribe opioids after the state medical board launched an investigation into his practice, which only takes complex cases of chronic pain.

By Taylor Knopf For Courtney Cates, pain medication is the difference between taking short walks or staying in bed. It’s the difference between talking with her 8-year-old son or passing him notes. Cates, 37, suffers from chronic pain in her back, leg and jaw resulting from car accidents, failed surgeries and a painful jaw disease. […]

A person in a sports cap holding a needle box to be packed away and delivered to needle exchange participants. Dunlap says they meth use never went away in Haywood County.

Even as opioids ravage WNC, mountain folks say meth never went away

December 3, 2019 by Liora Engel-Smith

Even as opioids ravage WNC, mountain folks say meth never went away - North Carolina Health News

While the current conversation surrounding drug use is dominated by opioids, residents in North Carolina’s Appalachians say meth has always been there.

By Liora Engel-Smith Jesse-Lee Dunlap goes where not even the mail carrier does. The Haywood County resident, who works with the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition, routinely navigates into dirt pathways so narrow they hardly count as roads. On a recent afternoon, Dunlap maneuvered a white rental van up one such trail, squeezing up a steep […]

Jail suicides are on the rise in North Carolina

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise

October 31, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

NC jail suicide and overdose deaths on the rise - North Carolina Health News

Advocates want to update old jail rules to help keep inmates safe, but sheriffs’ objections are slowing down the process.

By Taylor Knopf Suicide and drug overdose deaths are on the rise in North Carolina jails, according to a recent report released by Disability Rights NC. There have been 17 suicides so far this year, up from 12 in 2018. And the number of jail overdose deaths more than doubled from 2017 to 2018. About […]

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