fentanyl

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 […]

Opioid settlements spark debate on how to spend the money

August 19, 2019 by Pew Trusts

Opioid settlements spark debate on how to spend the money - North Carolina Health News

As states' lawsuits against opioid manufacturers start to settle, advocates look to the two-decade old tobacco settlement for lessons.

By Christine Vestal Stateline In the first trial aimed at holding drug companies accountable for the opioid crisis, Oklahoma earlier this year reeled in more than $350 million in settlement payments from drugmakers Purdue Pharma and Teva. But skirmishes between the attorney general and a group including the governor, lawmakers and local governments over who […]

A county by county map of US colored to show opioid death risk, including access to medication-assisted treatment

Forty-one N.C. counties classified as “high risk” in new opioid study

July 23, 2019 by Yen Duong

Forty-one N.C. counties classified as “high risk” in new opioid study - North Carolina Health News

In a national study, researchers classified 41 North Carolina counties as “opioid high-risk” with few providers of medication-assisted treatment and many opioid-related deaths.

By Yen Duong While conversations about the national opioid epidemic often focus on hardest-hit states such as Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, few people have analyzed county-by-county trends, where those state’s policies can make a difference. But a new study, published last month in an open-access version of the Journal of the American Medical Association, […]

shows the front of the legislative building in Raleigh, general assembly

Opioid bills at odds with each other, advocates say

June 21, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Opioid bills at odds with each other, advocates say - North Carolina Health News

There are two bills moving through the legislature this session that seek to reduce deaths among drug users. But a third bill could unintentionally cause more overdose deaths and put more drug users behind bars, according to public health experts.

By Taylor Knopf At the state General Assembly, there are two forces trying to stop opioid overdose deaths. But they seem at odds with each other. Prosecutors are concerned with stopping drug dealers and their ability to supply the drug market. Meanwhile, public health advocates are lobbying lawmakers in what they claim is the best […]

map shows states that have not expanded Medicaid in orange (14) and states that have in dark blue (36 + DC)

In state health report cards, North Carolina falls below average

June 13, 2019 by Yen Duong

In state health report cards, North Carolina falls below average - North Carolina Health News

In a report released this week, nonprofit research foundation The Commonwealth Fund ranked North Carolina 34th out of 50 states and Washington, D.C in terms of overall health performance.

By Yen Duong North Carolina has continued to perform below average in a national ranking of state health systems, moving from 35th in 2018 to 34th this year. On June 12, the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit health policy research foundation, released its annual report comparing state health systems based on 47 measures including health care […]

Young man loads a medical needle from a bottle with a clear substance

As the opioid death count climbs, will North Carolina try what’s worked elsewhere?

June 12, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

As the opioid death count climbs, will North Carolina try what’s worked elsewhere? - North Carolina Health News

European countries use a combination of harm reduction services to prevent overdose deaths, but their techniques are more daring than most Americans are currently willing to try. But opinions could be changing.

By Taylor Knopf The United States is not the first country to be plagued by heroin and overdose deaths. Western Europe experienced spikes in opioid overdose deaths in the 1980s and 90s. But countries such as France and Switzerland have found ways to support drug users and rein in the problem. North Carolina Health News […]

a pair of hands holds several bags containing literature and one containing a nasal applicator for naloxone. One of the pieces of literature reads: Opioid Overdose Prevention and Survival

Lawmakers consider ‘Death by distribution’ law

April 10, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Lawmakers consider ‘Death by distribution’ law - North Carolina Health News

Advocates worry the proposed legislation could deter people from calling 911 in the event of an overdose if they fear a second-degree murder charge.

By Taylor Knopf State lawmakers are considering adding a “death by distribution” law to the books to give district attorneys a stronger tool to prosecute drug dealers in the wake of an ever-increasing number of drug overdose deaths. According to the proposed legislation, if someone gives a drug to another person and the second person […]

woman standing on bridge in France with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Why I went to Europe to learn about the American drug crisis

January 18, 2019 by Taylor Knopf

Why I went to Europe to learn about the American drug crisis - North Carolina Health News

Opioid death rates in the U.S. keep ticking up, despite efforts to curb the epidemic of deaths by overdose. On the other side of the Atlantic, overdose deaths have plummeted. What are they doing differently?

By Taylor Knopf From Appalachia to Atlantic Beach, you’ll find hundreds of medical professionals and advocates desperately trying to prevent opioid-related deaths. And yet, every day, an average of four North Carolinians overdose and die. For years, my colleagues and I at North Carolina Health News have covered drug-related infection and overdose issues, as well […]

a large trailer sits behind a medical building

End of Year Opioid-related Statistics Offer Some Hope

December 20, 2018 by Taylor Knopf

End of Year Opioid-related Statistics Offer Some Hope - North Carolina Health News

After relentlessly climbing for years, the number of opioid-related deaths in North Carolina ticked downward earlier this year.

By Taylor Knopf North Carolina’s year-end opioid-overdose statistics are offering a glimmer of hope in what’s otherwise been a relentless barrage of deaths. Preliminary data show a decrease in opioid overdoses in North Carolina from the end of 2017 to early 2018, according to a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services press release. […]

table with rubber gloves, syringes, testing equipment, pamphlets

NC Counties Putting New Federal Funding to Use in Battling Opioid Epidemic

November 15, 2018 by Carolina Public Press

NC Counties Putting New Federal Funding to Use in Battling Opioid Epidemic - North Carolina Health News

Rates of death from opioid overdose have continued to climb in North Carolina. Now state health officials are giving counties access to funds, but only if they adhere to best practices.

By Karrigan Monk Carolina Public Press A new grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give funding to 22 North Carolina health departments to create strategies for fighting the state’s opioid epidemic. Thirty-four counties applied for a share of $1.8 million funds, for up to $100,000 each, according to the N.C. […]

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