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Richmond County residents live in healthy, safe and drug-free communities. and 1 more... less...

Richmond County residents live in healthy, safe and drug-free communities.

Opioid Prescription Rates

Current Value

15.8%

2021

Definition

Line Bar

Description

Data were obtained from the CDC US County Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps.  

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, December 28). U.S. Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps. Drug Overdose. U.S. Opioid Dispensing Rate Maps | Drug Overdose | CDC Injury Center

Story Behind the Curve

Opioids have been used and misused since ancient times, mostly for acute pain from unknown causes and cancer.  The advent of the controlled-release formulation of OxyContin in the 1990s was thought to have resulted in less abuse potential since the drug would be slowly absorbed with no immediate high that usually promotes abuse.  Pharmaceutical companies reassured medical providers that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, leading to greater prescription rates. Those higher prescription rates led to widespread diversion and misuse. Opioid overdose rates began to increase, and in the early 2000s, reports of overdose and death from prescription pain drugs were on the rise, and an opioid epidemic was born. 

The most common misperception at that time was that prescription medications were without risk for misuse and abuse because of the regulations for legal, medical use.  Lipari et al. (2017) study indicated that most people who misused prescription drugs did so for the reason that they were prescribed (chronic pain) and that the two most commonly reported sources of prescription pain relievers were obtained from a friend or relative or obtained from medical providers.  National Institute of Drug Abuse (2020) indicated that patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain often misused them and developed an opioid use disorder. Many who misused the prescribed opioids transitioned to heroin.  The consequences of the opioid epidemic included but were not limited to the increased substance use disorders (SUDs), the rising incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (substance use during pregnancy), increase in HIV and Hepatitis C. 

Lipari, R. N., Williams, M., & Van Horn, S. L. (2017). Why do adults misuse prescription drugs?. The CBHSQ Report. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK458284/
National Insitute on Drug Abuse. (2020, April 3). North Carolina: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug- topics/opioids/opioid-summaries-by-state/north-Carolina-opioid-involved-deaths-related-harms 

 

Partners

The Richmond County Drug Endangered Family Taskforce (DEFT) was formed to address the opioid crisis in our local neighborhoods. Community stakeholders, county government, and local agencies have joined forces to provide treatment resources and community education. We are committed to bringing awareness and prevention to Richmond County and its residents by working with local providers to reduce the supply of prescription opioids, increase community awareness and prevention, supply naloxone to family, friends, and other interested parties who may work, live or know those who may use opioids.  

The mission of the Richmond County Health Department is to help prevent disease, promote health, and protect the environment for all citizens of Richmond County, and to continually assess and respond to the health needs of the community.

The Richmond County DSS Peer Support Program is the boots on the ground, out in our community to bring awareness of addiction.  We give out Harm Reduction Kits, which contain Narcan (used to reverse an opioid overdose), information on "the signs of an overdose," and resources on where substance-affected individuals can go to find help and support. Our Peer Support Specialists are in recovery themselves and work with others who are still struggling. They are living proof that people DO recover, which goes a long way in reducing the stigma surrounding drug addiction.

Our agency, through investigations both self-initiated and community-driven, locates and finds both those using opioids and illegally selling opioids. In addition, we reach out to those who have addictions and try to provide resources to aid in recovery. We believe that both aiding in recovery as well as stopping the illegal supply of opioids is the best way we, as officers, can help the community.

The Mission of the Rockingham Police Department is to enforce the laws and ordinances of the State of North Carolina and the City of Rockingham. By providing quality law enforcement we safeguard lives, enhance community safety, protect property and reduce the impact and fear of crime. Our officers seek and preserve public confidence by the impartial observance of the law and by offering service and trust to all members of the public.

FirstHealth EMS is a nonprofit service that provides transports for 911 patients in Chatham, Montgomery, and Richmond counties. With 40 ambulances and 200 employees, the FirstHealth Regional EMS System is one of the largest ambulance systems in North Carolina, covering more than 3,000 square miles. Each county is unique but provides a high level of Advanced Life Support (ALS) care to all our patients. Together with our Medical Transport Team, FirstHealth EMS transports approximately 23,000 patients each year to a variety of destinations around the state.

Our mission is to improve the quality of life in our county by reducing fear, preventing crime, and enforcing the law while protecting each individual’s freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

We are a community coalition committed to reducing opioid-related overdoses in Moore, Montgomery, Lee, Hoke, and Richmond counties. 

To help individuals and communities who find themselves facing the challenge of alcohol and other drug misuses, Community Impact NC is increasing our focus on building safe, healthy, and strong communities. We believe that strong communities are the best way to prevent future harm. We bring expert knowledge and research into the design and implementation of our programs.

North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to the implementation of harm reduction interventions, public health strategies, drug policy transformation, and justice reform in North Carolina and throughout the American South. NCHRC engages in grassroots advocacy, resource and policy development, coalition building, and direct services for people impacted by drug use, incarceration, sex work, overdose, gender, HIV and hepatitis, and first responders.

What Works

  • Access and use of the North Carolina Opioid Action Plan
  • Support education of local providers to prevent overprescribing opioids
  • Increase access to medically acceptable pain relief alternatives (i.e., pain clinics)
  • Education of consumers and physicians on the appropriate use of particular drugs 
  • Development of unbiased information on the appropriate use of certain drugs
  • Encourage increased regulation of direct-to-consumer advertising
  • Exclusion of specific drugs or drug classes from coverage unless for a terminal illness
  • Dispensing limits (quantity limits) for a particular drug or prescription

Strategy

The Richmond County Health Department 2020-2023 Strategic Plan to reduce the opioid prescription rate by five percent will include advocating for policies that will address

  • Patients physical and mental status examination laws (e.g., describing a patient's appearance, attitude, behavior, mood and affect, speech, perception, cognition, and judgment)
  • Doctor shopping laws (i.e., the use of deception to encourage a doctor to prescribe drugs for misuse or sale)
  • Tamper-resistant prescription forms (e.g., electronic prescriptions)
  • Regulation of pain management clinics
  • Prescription drug monitoring laws
  • Abuse-deterrent opioid formulations e.g., not being able to crush for snorting),
  • Improved provider education (e.g., prescribing only needed doses, substance use screening, mental illness screening, alternatives to pain medications)
  • Consumer/patient education on not sharing medications with others, only using medications for the intended purpose, and secure medication storage at home

In addition, community methods to combat the misuse of opioids will include drug take-back events, promotion of drug drop boxes at various local businesses, safe storage and disposal of prescription medications (e.g., free Deterra Pouches- activated carbon to deactivate drugs), local provider education, and free naloxone education and training.  

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.

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