County leaders unveiled three new initiatives to fight the opioid disaster, supported by opioid settlement funding. The county offered the three initiatives throughout a day-long convention designed to deal with numerous points associated to the continued opioid disaster.
Why it issues: The brand new initiatives purpose to disrupt the cycle of incarceration and overdose by offering continuity of care.
The three new packages:
MAT in Detention: The county will supply medication-assisted therapy (MAT) induction for the primary time contained in the county detention heart.
Publish-Overdose Response Group: A brand new group of EMS, hospitals and public well being companions will reply inside 72 hours of an overdose to supply emotional help, naloxone and direct pathways to therapy.
Reentry Program Improvement: This initiative will join folks coming back from incarceration with opioid use histories to care, peer help and stabilization companies.
Mecklenburg Public Well being reported in February that deadly overdoses surged amongst Black and Hispanic residents from 2019 by way of 2023.
What they’re saying: “By initiating MAT in custody, responding quickly to overdoses, and bridging care throughout reentry, we’re not simply treating habit—we’re disrupting the cycle of incarceration and overdose,” mentioned Marcus Boyd, program supervisor for the county’s opioid settlement.
