Tag Archive for: #granvilleopioidandaddictiontaskforce

Granville Opioid Advisory Committee To Hold Public Input Meeting May 4

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-information courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

The Granville County Opioid Advisory Committee will host a second public input meeting on Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. to educate and engage with the community on strategies to fight the opioid epidemic in Granville County.

The meeting will be held in the Willow Oak Room at the Creedmoor Community Center, 116 Douglas Drive in Creedmoor. The public will have the opportunity to voice their opinions about how money should be allocated to combat the opioid crisis, according to information from Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood.

Granville County is set to receive $6.8 million over the next 16 years as part of the National Opioid Settlements. This litigation against large manufacturers and distributors of opioids who contributed to the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States will provide funding to state, county, and municipal governments to grow or implement proven strategies that will help prevent, treat, and foster recovery from opioid addiction.

In conjunction with public input meetings, the Opioid Advisory Committee has issued a brief survey to help the committee form its final funding recommendations that will be presented to the county commissioners for approval. Take the survey at www.granvillecounty.org/opioidsurvey.

“Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey and join us on May 4 to help us fight the opioid epidemic here in Granville County,” said committee chair Jimmy Gooch. “As a county government, we have an obligation to utilize these funds to help as many of our residents as possible while also being careful stewards of the dollars we receive. Gaining a better understanding of how our community would like the county to prioritize our spending is a critical step to improving how the opioid crisis is addressed in Granville County.”

The Opioid Advisory Committee was established in 2018 by the Granville County Board of Commissioners to engage in shared leadership and collective action to advance a comprehensive response to opioid and other  drug use. The committee includes representatives and stakeholders from within Granville County government as well as Granville-Vance Public Health, Granville Health System, Vaya Health, law enforcement,  local pharmacy owners, behavioral health professionals, affected families and other concerned citizens.

For more information about the National Opioid Settlements, visit the “More Powerful NC” website:  https://www.morepowerfulnc.org/opioid-settlements/nc-memorandum-of-agreement/.

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Granville Task Force Steering Committee Formed to Address Opioid Epidemic

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-Press Release, Granville County

At the October 15 meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners, Chairman Edgar Smoak proposed the formation of an Opioid and Addiction Task Force Steering Committee. Appointed to serve on this committee are Commissioner Smoak, Commissioner Tim Karan, Commissioner Tony Cozart, County Manager Mike Felts, Granville County Sheriff BrinWilkins and Granville-Vance Health Director Lisa Harrison.

The North Carolina Department of Justice reports that more people die in North Carolina of an accidental drug overdose than any other cause of accidental death. On average, five people die from drug overdose in our state every day, with the rates of overall overdose increasing by more than 400 percent between 2000 and 2016.*

The majority of the rise has been attributed to unintentional overdoses of opioids, used for pain relief. While these prescriptions are generally safe when taken for a short time – as prescribed by a doctor – they can be misused, leading to harmful effects which can cause lasting chemical changes in the brain, reduced heart rate, breathing suppression or loss of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, North Carolina is one of 26 states across the nation reporting significant overdose death rates from 2015 to 2016.

Data shared by Granville Vance Public Health indicates that in Granville County alone, more than two million opioid pills were dispensed to residents in 2017, with 37 emergency visits by county residents that same year as a result of prescription misuse. Ten deaths have also been attributed to unintentional opioid overdose in Granville in 2017. A county-by-county report provided by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) indicates that there were two Granville County deaths in 2010, five in 2011, eight in 2012, four in 2013, seven in 2014 and five in 2015, all related to misuse of opioids.

“Even a single death resulting from this epidemic is one too many,” Comm. Edgar Smoak remarked.

The purpose of this local steering committee is to take a closer look at the issue in Granville County and to explore ways it can be addressed. The first meeting, chaired by Comm. Tim Karan, is scheduled for Thursday, November 8 at 10 a.m.

 *North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, 2017