Bladen County Substance Misuse Task Force

Description

The mission is to ensure that Bladen County organizations work together to help reduce substance misuse and addiction, prevent overdose deaths, help more people get treatment and recover from substance misuse addiction, and ultimately improve the quality of life in our community. We serve Any individual struggling with substance misuse or addiction. Testimonials can be shared. And, the group welcomes the opportunity to share something that is more of a status report on how the task force is doing, and how the county is doing in the fight against dependencies. The task force hopes the conversations lead to productive outcomes, including more community involvement in the battle.

Progress in 2022-2023

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) offers local governments two options:

Under Option A, a local government may fund one or more strategies from a shorter list (Exhibit A) of evidence-based, high-impact strategies to address the epidemic.
Under Option B, a local government engages in a collaborative strategic planning process (Exhibit C) involving a diverse array of stakeholders and may then fund a strategy from the Exhibit A list or a longer list of strategies (Exhibit B) included in the national settlements.

Bladen County is currently transitioning from Option A to Option B to create more results. The Bladen County Commissioners have appointed members to be a part of the Bladen County Opioid Steering Committee that will create a strategic plan to involve stakeholders in the process.

Currently these programs are funded through grant funding:

•Community Education and Prevention

•Bladen County HRSA grant provides funds to purchase and train the LifeSkills curricula for 6th grades and is expanding to the 5th & 9th grade

•HRSA grant paid for development of the Bladen Recovery website: Recovery Bladen

•Harm Reduction

•Trillium provides Narcan to the County EMS and First responders for opioid overdoses

•Trillium provided Funds for Medication Lock Boxes to Health Dept.

•Trillium provided Funds to purchase Vivitrol to Opioid Addicted Bladen County residents at HPNHC

•Intervention

•Licensed LCAS are placed at the Health Department, DSS/CPS and Bladen Hospital ED to assess, intervene, refer and follow up those individuals who have a SUD issues

•Health Department offers a 24/7 crisis phone line for SUD issues and referrals to HPNHC (910)874-6098

•Health Department has offered locked medication boxes for citizens and worked w County Pharmacies to establish medication drop offs

Supported with County Opioid Settlement Funds:

•Treatment

•Detoxification and residential treatment paid for Bladen County adults at Healing Place of New Hanover County 1825 days/year including transportation to and from Wilmington, NC

•Recovery supports

•Celebrate Recovery Groups

•NA Groups

•Recovery Housing

Progress in 2025

The Substance Misuse Task Force continues to meet monthly. The Committee sponsored the Bladen County's second Opioid Overdose-Awareness Day on August 30, 2025. Twelve community partners including mental health providers, recovery treatment centers, Department of Social Services and Public Health were on site with information related to prevention, treatment and recovery resources available in Bladen County. Partners participated in a Walk of Remembrance for the over 50 residents who have died due to overdose in Bladen County since 2019. Several partners gave their personal testimonies, a highlight of the event!

Progress in 2026

Clear Impact Suite is an easy-to-use, web-based software platform that helps your staff collaborate with external stakeholders and community partners by utilizing the combination of data collection, performance reporting, and program planning.