Cumberland County opens facility for those struggling with opioid abuse: 'We are here for them'

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Cumberland County is launching a new center in Fayetteville for those affected by opioid abuse.

The facility on Executive Place was created with money that Cumberland County received from its opioid settlement funds. As county officials sought feedback from people on what they wanted to help beat opioid abuse in the community, they had a litany of specific requests.

"They told us numerous times that they needed services such as harm-reduction supplies. They needed things like peer support, they need treatment providers to be easily assessed," said Sanquis Graham, the administrator of Cumberland County's Department of Public Health. "They also needed to be connected to their medical providers and primary care. And so we wanted to make sure that we could get them here at this location and then be able to make those really strong referrals and give more handoffs to those specific providers."

The county says it allocated $650,000 of that opioid settlement money to hire support staff and stock the center with supplies such as naloxone, the medication that reverses opioid overdose. People in need can also access resources such as fentanyl test strips, medicine disposal kits, and lock boxes for weapons. The county said it saw the need in the community.

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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that in 2021, an average of 11 North Carolinians died of an overdose per day.

"We realized that this was something we needed to do in the short term versus waiting 10 to 15 years," Graham said.

Graham added that the county's efforts to educate the public seem to be paying off.

The county's public health department reported that about 170 people in Cumberland County were admitted to the Emergency Department because of opioid use from January to August 2023. That number dropped to 126 this year in the same period.

"We want to make sure that they understand that you can approach recovery from various pathways," Graham said. "And we have individuals here to help you facilitate that journey."

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