Mitchell County has developed plans to address drug use in the county as part of the opioid settlement between state governments and drug manufacturers that was announced in 2021.
North Carolina is receiving funds as part of the National Opioid Settlement and local governments are required to study drug use in their areas before they receive shares of the money. These funds will go towards combating illegal drug use, with these studies being used to evaluate where the money would be best help reduce the effects of drug use.
Mitchell County’s survey has been funded through a grant from the Dogwood Health Trust and is being conducted by the WNC Health Network. The first phase involved gathering existing data on drug use in the county along with statistics about its effects on residents. This report has been completed.
The next phase of the survey is now underway. County officials are asking everyone who has lived with substance abuse, either current or past users, family members, caregivers, etc. to share their stories. This will help policy makers learn about and understand the impact that substance use has on individuals, families, and the county as a whole. These stories are being collected and shared anonymously.
A web page has been developed to share information about the surveys, provide a link to share stories, and provide resources to help with dealing with drug use. Visit www.mitchellcountync.
When the collections of the stories are completed, recommendations will be given to Mitchell County Commissioners who will then use the information collected to develop a plan on how best to use the county’s share of opioid funds to combat the problem of illegal drug use in the county.
All county residents are asked to help with making plans on how best to use National Opioid Settlement funds to help prevent and treat opioid and substance abuse in Mitchell County.
