OVER 13 MILLION PAINKILLERS WERE PRESCRIBED IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY IN 2017. This equals almost 52 pills for every adult and child in Buncombe County. In 2017, there were 354 opioid overdose emergency department visits in Buncombe County. 92 Buncombe County residents died from unintentional opioid overdose deaths in 2017. 502 community Naloxone reversals were reported in Buncombe during 2017. Today in North Carolina, you are more likely to die of an overdose than a car crash. Addiction is a disease and can happen to anyone. Whether you or someone you know is impacted by opioid addiction, help and hope are closer than you think.
Opioids are chemicals that are either produced from the opium poppy plant or created in a lab to have the same effects. Some opioids are prescription painkillers, such as oxycodone, codeine cough syrup, Percocet, or Vicodin. Some opioids, like heroin and fentanyl, are produced illicitly and are illegal drugs. Opioid drugs work by binding to opioid receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and other areas of the body. They reduce the sending of pain messages to the brain and reduce feelings of pain. They are also highly addictive and can be deadly. The Bottom Line: your risk of addiction increases every day that you take prescription opioids. You can keep up with opioid related news and ways to be involved by visiting the News section on this page.
Prescription Painkillers (Opioids) can include: Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Percocet, Tylox, Demerol, and Fentanyl, among others. Heroin is also an opioid.
Buncombe County and partners throughout our community are coming together to address substance use disorder and the impacts of addiction and opioid overdose in our area. Buncombe County is pleased to partner with other public organizations, health care providers, faith groups, nonprofits, the business community, and community advocates as we work together to stem the disease of opioid addiction and overdose deaths. Prevention Inter-agency planning teams Communicable disease outreach & vaccination Training for prescribers and medical professionals School-based outreach Harm Reduction Drug take-back events Safe disposal for medications and injection supplies Overdose reversal medication Syringe exchange services Public Awareness Speakers bureau Community town halls Bus ads Opioid student summit Training and materials Accountability Public nuisance lawsuit against painkiller industy Law enforcement Justice system coordination Treatment & Wellness Overdose follow-ups Peer support and mentors Medication asssisted treatment Outpatient treatment Residential programs Transitional housing S.T.A.R.T. Child Welfare Cross-Community Response Includes: Student Opioid Summit: Designed & led by students, the Student Opioid Summit focuses on prevention of substance use disorder and awareness involving schools, students and parents. Now in its second year! Faith Based Outreach and Engagement: Over 60 leaders from the faith community came together in September 2017 to learn more about substance use disorder and commit to action. Faith leaders will reconvene in April 2019 to learn more about harm reduction and treatment options. Drug Take Back Events: The Partnership for Substance Free Youth in Buncombe County coordinates regularly with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, The Asheville Police Department, Asheville Fire Department, the NC State Bureau of Investigation and pharmacies across the county to host take back events – making it easier for residents to safely dispose of their unused medications. Continuing Physician Education: Over 1,000 medical providers have been trained via MAHEC on safer prescribing practices. Web-based toolkits: the Partnership for Substance Free Youth is working to provide resources to school administrators and parents regarding substance use disorder. School Health Trainings & School Health Nurses involvement: MAHEC School Nurses continue to be involved with the Student Summit and are equipped with Naloxone in schools. Abba's House offers transitional housing for new mothers in recovery with peer support and safe housing along with their newborn. Sobriety, Treatment and Recovery Teams: START Team is a special unit of social workers in BCHHS partnered with parent mentors. They intervene quickly to get parents into treatment, provide peer support and actively partner with parents and children for better outcomes for the entire family unit. Project CARA: BCHHS Social Work team partners with Mission and MAHEC to provide supports to pregnant and new mothers with substance use disorder so that they can make a safety plan, understand how to care for themselves and their newborn safely, and access appropriate levels of treatment for substance misuse. Filing a public nuisance lawsuit against the drug manufacturers and wholesale drug distributors that made the opioid epidemic possible. Syringe Services Program opening at 40 Coxe Avenue summer 2019. The program will provide sterile injecting equipment, Naloxone, hygiene items, peer support services and referrals to primary and mental health care. Buncombe County Health & Human Services Social Workers are currently being trained in Naloxone administration and will have Naloxone available to voluntarily carry for clients at risk of overdose. Syringe Disposal Units going up spring of 2019 at 40 Coxe Avenue, Pack Library, and 35 Woodfin Street. SAFER: Community education and awareness campaign on safe needle disposal and reducing harm. Leading an inter-agency coalition, Buncombe Community C.A.R.E. team to explore and implement community based strategies on combating the disease of opioid addiction. Let us know if you would like to be a member! Pairing community members with medical experts to educate our community on opioid basics, addiction, harm reduction and treatment. Want to learn more about the epidemic of overdose deaths and the impacts of opioids in Buncombe County? Request a speaker from our Speaker's Bureau. Request Closer posters and Alternative Pain Relief bookmarks from us!
Nearly half of young people who inject heroin start by using prescription drugs. More than 90% of adults with substance use disorders started using before age 18—half of these cases started using drugs before age 15. A growing number of student athletes are also at risk of becoming addicted to painkillers after being prescribed pain medication for an injury. Common drugs that are given are: Vicodin, OxyContin or Percocet. Students also encounter these drugs outside of the doctor’s office either through a friend or by stealing medications from someone else. With the changing drug landscape, any pill NOT obtained from a pharmacy can contain the deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl. Regardless, all opioids should be considered addictive and deadly. Parents— Talk to your children and teens about drugs and about taking pills. Kids who learn about the dangers of drugs at home are up to 50% less likely to use drugs. As you talk with your child about the dangers of drugs, do not lose the important opportunity to discuss the danger of taking pills. Prescription painkillers are a last resort – talk before you take! Advocate for your child in the doctor’s office by talking with your child’s medical provider about non-addictive forms of pain relief. As a young person grows, their brains are not fully formed until the age of 25. The longer you can keep a young person from using any drugs or alcohol, the more likely they are to avoid issues with substance misuse use as an adult. This flyer talks about the risk of painkiller addiction in students, and has been distributed to students and parents in Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools. Students— If you need help dealing with substance use for yourself or someone you care about, your school nurse or guidance counselors can help. Recovery is possible and support is available.
Most abused prescription drugs come from family and friends. You could be a drug dealer without even knowing it. Everyone in Buncombe County should take the following steps: Count the number of painkillers in your home Keep your medications in their original labeled containers, this will help prevent any accidental misuse. Keep opioid medications out of sight, preferably in a secured location, such as a locked box or cabinet and out of the reach of children and teens. Properly dispose of unwanted, unused, or expired medications. Buncombe county has several locations with secure drop boxes.
When discarding unwanted, unused, or expired medications, please follow these instructions: remove identification from all medications. separate pill, liquids and inhalers. use a different disposal paper or plastic bag for each type of medication. empty dry pill medications into a bag. leave liquid medications in their original container and place in a separate bag. NO radioactive medications such as cancer medications, needles or sharp objects accepted. Find needle disposal units in Buncombe County.
Drug Drop Box Locations There are several drug drop boxes located throughout Buncombe County. Interact with the map below for address and time information: