At the Oct. 15 meeting of the Granville County Board of Commissioners, Chairman Edgar Smoak proposed the formation of an Opioid and Addiction Task Force Steering Committee. Appointed to serve on this committee are Commissioner Smoak, Commissioner Tim Karan, Commissioner Tony Cozart, County Manager Mike Felts, Granville County Sheriff Brin Wilkins and Granville-Vance Health Director Lisa Harrison.
The North Carolina Department of Justice reports that more people die in North Carolina of an accidental drug overdose than any other cause of accidental death. On average, five people die from drug overdose in our state every day, with the rates of overall overdose increasing by more than 400 percent between 2000 and 2016.* The majority of the rise has been attributed to unintentional overdoses of opioids, used for pain relief. While these prescriptions are generally safe when taken for a short time – as prescribed by a doctor – they can be misused, leading to harmful effects which can cause lasting chemical changes in the brain, reduced heart rate, breathing suppression and loss of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, North Carolina is one of 26 states across the nation reporting significant overdose death rates from 2015 to 2016.
Data shared by the Granville Vance Public Health indicates that in Granville County alone, more than two million opioid pills were dispensed to residents in 2017, with 37 emergency visits by county residents that same year as a result of prescription misuse. Ten deaths have also been attributed to unintentional opioid overdose in Granville in 2017. A county-by-county report provided by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) indicates that there were two Granville County deaths in 2010, five in 2011, eight in 2012, four in 2013, seven in 2014 and five in 2015, all related to misuse of opioids.
“Even a single death resulting from this epidemic is one too many,” Comm. Edgar Smoak remarked.
The purpose of this local steering committee is to take a closer look at the issue in Granville County and to explore ways it can be addressed. The first meeting, chaired by Comm. Tim Karan, is scheduled for Nov. 8 at 10 a.m.
*North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, 2017