Guilford Overdose Prevention and Education Collective (GOPEC) is a collaborative hosted by Public Health's Drug and Injury Prevention program. GOPEC includes representatives from local government agencies, non-profits, physical and behavioral healthcare providers, harm reduction agencies, schools, affected family members, and people with lived experience with substance use disorders.

The group strives to provide education and implementation of equitable and non-stigmatizing overdose prevention and other strategies to address substance use in Guilford County. GOPEC meets virtually on the 3rd Monday of each month. For more information about the virtual meetings, please email GOPEC@guilfordcountync.gov.

Since the collaborative began formally meeting in fall of 2023, GOPEC has:

• Hosted guest speakers from UNC Chapel Hill's Street Drug Analysis Lab, NC Department of Health and Human Services, and local community-based organizations to showcase what they do and how to make referrals for services.
• Included discussions about opioid settlement spending, potential blind spots and priority areas.

In 2025, GOPEC activities included:

• A site visit for partners to the UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab in Chapel Hill, learning about their community drug checking program and lab facilities.
• A field trip to UNC Greensboro’s Weatherspoon Art Museum on April 3, 2025, to view The Opioid Project exhibit. This visit included a panel discussion with the student artists who used artmaking and storytelling to share experiences on topics of addiction and recovery.
• Presentations from:
  • Volunteers of America’s plans for Family Focused Recovery Program at the new Women with Children Recovery Center located at Gibson Park in High Point and
  • Medical anthropologist Dr. Jennifer Carroll who shared best research practices for residential treatment and overdose prevention.