Forsyth County leaders discuss strategies to combat opioid crisis during strategy input session

Forsyth County leaders discussed plans for more than $36 million in opioid settlement money, $6 million of which is headed straight to Winston-Salem.

Forsyth County leaders discussed plans for more than $36 million in opioid settlement money, $6 million of which is headed straight to Winston-Salem.

This money will be stretched over an 18-year span; distribution of the funds started about two years ago.

During the information session that discussed this settlement money, county and municipal leaders discussed ways the community can partner together to combat the opioid crisis.

King Mayor Rick McCraw says one strategy they’re implementing is educating seniors on how to handle Narcan.

“Because a lot of seniors now are raising their grandchildren or maybe another senior mate that may have taken their medicine twice, and they need to have Narcan,” McCraw said. “To be educated to administer Narcan if it arises if you need to do that.”

But the focus is also on young people.

Cheryl Wilson lost her son to fentanyl in 2020. She says the next step in this conversation is erasing the stigma surrounding Narcan.

“It enables breathing, it enables life, it enables a family to remain intact,” Wilson said. “I distribute naloxone to anyone in need, sometimes who are not in need, because I feel like they might need it eventually. And it’s how I keep my son alive.”

County leaders say this opioid settlement has some limitations; it must be used for evidence-based treatment and prevention.

WS/FCS board of education vote unanimously to bring Narcan to classrooms

School leaders say they’re hoping to have this in place for the 2024-25 academic year. It’s a decision that comes after the community expressed the need for more school resources following a rise in opioid deaths in Forsyth County.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. โ€”

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board members voted unanimously to bring Narcan to the classrooms. School leaders say they’re hoping to have this in place for the 2024-25 academic year. It’s a decision that comes after the community expressed the need for more school resources following a rise in opioid deaths in Forsyth County.

Annie Vasquez, a substance use health educator came to Tuesday’s night’s board meeting in hopes the Narcan proposal would pass.

“When I was 17, I started using heroin. I’m very lucky that I did not overdose at the school system. We did not have Narcan when I was in active addiction, so itโ€™s a very different, just, area,” Vasquez said.

As a mother and 20 years clean herself, Vasquez says this decision is a breath of fresh air.

According to data from Forsyth County Behavioral Health Services, as of Monday, there have been 17 overdose deaths so far this year. EMS has responded to more than 700 overdose-related calls.

A total of 1,583 cases were reported last year. That would mean that through Memorial Day, overdose calls in the county could increase by 11% from 2023 to 2024.

Andrea Scales is also sitting in for that vote on Tuesday. Her son, Jeremiah, died in June 2022 after unknowingly consuming fentanyl. She says this vote is a win for both of them.

“Sitting in that room today, I carried him in here with me,” Scales said. “And we were both rooting for this policy to pass, and knowing that it has for the upcoming school year is amazing, it’s remarkable, and it needed to take place. And I’m so glad this is going to save lives.”

According to the draft policy, the Forsyth County Health Department will supply Narcan to schools for free. It will also offer annual training to teachers and staff on how to administer it and where it is to be stored.

According to the policy, Narcan isn’t required to be available for activities off school grounds, like field trips or athletic events.

Read the article and watch the video on the WXII News 12 website.

Fentanyl victims advocacy group holds educational, networking event in Lexington

LEXINGTON, N.C. โ€”

A group of people who lost family members to fentanyl held an educational advocacy and networking event in Lexington.

On Saturday, the group “Fentvic” came together to start safety conversations within the community about the dangers of illicit fentanyl.

The group said they want to focus on counterfeit pressed pills, like Adderall, Xanax, and Percocet, as well as the access of life-saving naloxone in schools and the community.

Participants at the event had the option to bring posters of their family members to honor their loved ones they have lost to fentanyl abuse.

CDC data has ranked North Carolina 4th in the nation in fentanyl-related deaths last year. North Carolina data also shows a combined 2,615 fentanyl deaths between 2013 and Sept. 2023.

For more information on Fentvic and to see any of their upcoming events throughout North Carolina, visit their website here.

Read the full article and watch the video on the WXII News 12 website.

Translate ยป