The following priority areas are from North Carolina’s Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan (OSUAP). For additional information refer to the current OSUAP and data dashboard at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/overdose-epidemic/north-carolinas-opioid-and-substance-use-action-plan/.

• Center Equity and Lived Experiences by acknowledging systems that have disproportionately harmed historically marginalized people (HMP), implementing programs that reorient those systems, and increasing access to comprehensive, culturally competent, and linguistically appropriate drug user health services for HMPs
• Prevent future addiction and address trauma by supporting children and families
• Reduce Harm by moving beyond just opioids to address polysubstance use
• Connect to Care by increasing treatment access for justice-involved people and expanding access to housing and employment supports to recover from the pandemic together

The Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan broadens its focus to include polysubstance use and centers equity and lived experience (OSUAP, 2021). Strategies included in the action plan are available at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/overdose-epidemic/north-carolinas-opioid-and-substance-use-action-plan.   

The a data dashboard provides integration and visualization of state, regional, and county-level metrics for partners across North Carolina to track progress toward reaching the goals outlined in the NC Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/opioid-and-substance-use-action-plan-data-dashboard.

March 3, 2023, NC Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (OPDAAC) Meeting

• The agenda, slides, and recording for the meeting are available online at OPDAAC Meetings: Agendas and Presentations | NCDHHS.
• The meeting focused on drug checking as an overdose prevention and harm reduction strategy.
• Instead of an OPDAAC meeting in June, members are encouraged to attend the NC Summit on Reducing Overdose, June 7-8, 2023 at the Durham Convention Center. The next OPDAAC meeting will be in September 2023.  

December 9, 2022, NC Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (OPDAAC) Meeting

• The agenda, slides, and recording for the meeting are available online at OPDAAC Meetings: Agendas and Presentations | NCDHHS.
• The meeting focused on justice system diversion programs for overdose prevention work.
• The next OPDAAC meeting will be in March 2023. 

October 21, 2022, Update

• The Co-Leads revisited the best way to incorporate the HNC 2030/NC SHIP work in the overdose space and decided that the NC Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (OPDAAC) is a better home for this work instead of the Syringe Services Programs Advisory Group.
• The OPDAAC is an existing statewide advisory group responsible for the development of and implementation of the existing statewide action plan. One of the main goals of the action plan is to reduce the number of overdose deaths.
• OPDAAC resources, including past meeting presentations and the statewide action plan are available at https://www.ncdhhs.gov/about/department-initiatives/overdose-epidemic/nc-opioid-and-prescription-drug-abuse-advisory-committee.

August 22, 2022, 1:00 to 2:30 pm, Syringe Services Programs Advisory Group Meeting

Co-Leads: Alyssa Kitlas and Mary Beth Cox (Absent)

Discussion: 

• Provided overview of the NC SHIP and next steps. At the next Syringe Services Programs Advisory Group meeting on September 26, 2022, the group plans to  discuss the prioritized policy initiatives and finalize plan for the coming year's work. Prior to that meeting, the Co-Leads will do preliminary prioritizing of the policy initiatives.