Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), substance use, and mental/behavioral health problems are major concerns for Onslow County. The prevalence of poor outcomes such as lack of mental/behavioral health treatment, opioid use/death, child abuse, and juvenile crime shows the need of additional support in this area, especially in prevention services. In FY 2021-2022, 1610 child protective cases were assessed and of those, 333 cases of child maltreatment were found. During the April 2021 – March 2022 timeframe, there were 255 children in foster care (Onslow County DSS Data, April 2021 – March 2022). 

Substance use overdoses continue impacting people living in Onslow County. In 2021, 76.5% of drug overdose deaths in Onslow County involved illicit opioids (NCDHHS Opioid Dashboard, 2021). Additionally, in 2021, Onslow County had 111.1 drug overdose emergency department visits per 100,000 residents (NCDHHS Opioid Dashboard, 2021). 

Onslow County has a variety of resources dedicated to address mental/behavioral health and substance abuse across the community. Yet, 47.6% of Onslow County survey respondents chose mental/behavioral health as a top health behavior that people in the community needed more information (2021 CHNA Community Survey). Improving awareness and access to these resources will help ongoing prevention efforts.