Learn More: Community Resources
Opioid-related overdose deaths in North Carolina have doubled in the past 10 years alone, and the problem continues to grow. Learn more about Attorney General Stein and Secretary Cohen's work to address the epidemic through the MorePowerfulNC campaign, our partners, recovery stories, and more.
To combat the opioid crisis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services worked with community partners to develop North Carolina's Opioid Action Plan (NC OAP) (PDF). Be sure to check out the Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee (OPDDAC) website.
"Opioid abuse is a serious public health issue. Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Protect yourself and your loved ones from prescription drug abuse and overdose death." - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Statewide Overdose Surveillance Reports
View a WRAL Documentary on the Opioid Epidemic, Searching for a Fix
Opioids & Overdose
Opioids reduce pain and are "downers." They slow down breathing and can make people sleepy.
Prescribed and illegal opioids include heroin, fentanyl, OxyContin, Vicodin, codeine, methadone and morphine. Opioids like fentanyl are also showing up in other street drugs.
Anybody who takes a toxic amount of opioids can overdose. It can cause a person to stop breathing, leading to brain damage and death.
Additional Resources
- To combat the opioid crisis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services worked with community partners to develop North Carolina's Opioid Action Plan (NC OAP) (PDF)
- Prevention Strategies, NC Division of Public Health
- More Powerful NC toolkit
- What is Addiction? (PDF)
- Discussing Addiction: How to Listen (PDF)
- Discussing Addiction: Have a Conversation, Not a Confrontation (PDF)
- Discussing Addiction: How to Break Through Barriers (PDF)
- Supporting vs Enabling (PDF)
- Fentanyl Facts and Heroin Facts
- From Rx to Heroin Infographic (PDF)
- Drug Abuse Information
- What Is The Scope Of The Prescription Drug Misuse?
- What is the difference between prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs?
- What is Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)?
- NaloxoneSaves.Org
NC Opioid Action Plan Data Dashboard 2.0: The dashboard displays the metrics and local actions tracked in the North Carolina Opioid Action Plan for the state and individual counties.
There are currently 1,158 confirmed medication or drug overdose deaths for 2020 (79% involved opioids). *2020 data are considered provisional and subject to change as cases continue to be finalized. Counts of medication and drug overdose deaths include all intents, restricted to NC residents. -State Center for Health Statistics
Finalized data for 2019 found 2,352 confirmed medication or drug overdose deaths (81% involved opioids). -State Center for Health Statistics
To combat the opioid crisis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services worked with community partners to develop North Carolina's Opioid Action Plan (NC OAP) (PDF).
Help, Resources, and Information: National Opioids Crisis
Statewide Overdose Surveillance Reports: This webpage includes statewide summary data, a link to the state's Opioid Action Plan Data Dashboard, monthly data updates, and county-level data. Please email us with questions or data requests. Visit Poisoning Prevention and Unintentional Poisoning from Prescription Drugs for more information on preventing poisoning deaths in North Carolina.
Overdose Emergency Department Visits (NC DETECT)
- Overdose Involving Medication or Drugs with Dependency Potential: There were 1,231 overdose ED visits this January involving medication or drugs with dependency potential compared to 1,022 this time last year (January 2020). A 20% increase for January 2021 compared to January 2020. Read the full Overdose Involving Medication report (PDF).
- Opioid Overdose: There were 727 opioid overdose ED visits this January compared to 541 this time last year (January 2020). A 34% increase for January 2021 compared to January 2020. Read the full Opioid Overdose report (PDF).
- EMS Encounters for Suspected Opioid Overdose: There were 749 EMS suspected opioid overdose encounters this January compared to 868 this time last year (January 2020). These encounters most commonly occurred inside a private residence, and most patients were treated and transported to a hospital. Read the full EMS Encounters report (PDF).
- Opioid Overdose ED Visits in New Hanover County (PDF)
The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) includes statewide summary data, a link to the state's Opioid Action Plan Data Dashboard, monthly data updates, and county-level data. Visit Poisoning Prevention and Unintentional Poisoning from Prescription Drugs for more information on preventing poisoning deaths in North Carolina.
New Hanover County Data Slide Sets (PPT) - Updated 12/10/19
Please email with additional questions about emergency department, emergency medical services (EMS), or law enforcement data.
Additional Data Resources
- The Opioid-related Overdose Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Video - NC Overdose Data: Trends and Surveillance
- North Carolina Poisoning Statistics
- Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Opioid Data Overview
- Safe Medicine Storage: A Look At The Disconnect Between Parent Knowledge And Behavior
- The Rise of Medicine in the Home: Implications for Today's Children
- Medicine Safety for Children: An In-Depth Look at Calls to Poison Centers
- 10 Leading Causes of Injury Deaths by Age Group Highlighting Unintentional Injury Deaths, U.S. - 2015
- 10 Leading Causes of Death by Age Group, U.S. - 2015
Local Resources for Parents and Guardians
- Care Coordination for Children (CC4C)
- Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA)
- Smart Start New Hanover County
- Wilmington Health Access for Teens (WHAT) offers comprehensive primary medical care, mental health counseling, nutrition, and prevention services to adolescents and young adults ages 11-24, including alcohol and substance abuse screening.
- Quick Response Team: Call 910-833-2052 to access treatment services and care for overdose survivors, their friends and family.
- Our Community Link: is a website for all your social service needs.
Additional Resources
- Safe Kids North Carolina
- Safe Kids Worldwide
- What are Opioids and Overdose?
- Drug Guide for Parents (PDF)
- Help, Resources, and Information: National Opioid Crisis
- Communication Gap Poster (PDF) - A list of slang terms used by prescription drug abusers.
- BeMedWise: for the health of your families - Toolkits For Parents, Community Leaders And Health Educators
- What is Prescription Drug Misuse?
- How Teens Abuse Medication
- Fact Sheet: Teen Medicine Abuse (PDF)
- Start a Critical Conversation About Responsible Medicine Use
- What is Addiction? (PDF)
- Discussing Addiction: How to Listen (PDF)
- Discussing Addiction: Have a Conversation, Not a Confrontation (PDF)
- Discussing Addiction: How to Break Through Barriers (PDF)
- Supporting vs Enabling (PDF)
- How Often are Children and Teens Exposed to Opioid Medication?
- The Rise of Medicine in the Home: Implications for Today's Children
- Medicine Safety for Children: An In-Depth Look at Calls to Poison Centers
- Safe Medicine Storage: A Look At The Disconnect Between Parent Knowledge And Behavior
- Parents Cheat Sheet - Navigating the Opioid Epidemic
- Alternative to Long-Term Suspension Referral Documents for students who are caught with their first-time offense of policy violation for illegal substances on school campus.
Local Resources for Older Adults and Caregivers
- New Hanover County Senior Resource Center - Life Enrichment
- New Hanover County Department of Social Services - Adult Services
- NC Division of Aging and Adult Services
- Quick Response Team: Call 910-833-2052 to access treatment services and care for overdose survivors, their friends and family.
- Our Community Link: is a website for all your social service needs.
Additional Resources
- Opioids in the Elderly: Trends and New Guidelines
- Opioid and Heroin Abuse Among Our Veterans
- What are Opioids and Overdose?
- BeMedWise Seniors: Medication Use Safety Training (MUST) for older adults
- Free Toolkit: Linking Older Adults With Medication, Alcohol, and Mental Health Resources
- Prescription Drug Abuse Among Older Adults (PDF)
- Opioid Misuse Increases Among Older Adults
- Doctors, Prescriptions and Hospital Bills: A Caregivers Guide
- Help, Resources, and Information: National Opioid Crisis
- What are Opioids and Overdose?
- Call Trillium Health Services 24/7 at 877-685-2417
- Trillium Health Services provides assistance locating pregnancy and medication-assisted therapy, babies and medication-assisted therapy, and other treatment services.
- The Complex World of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
- New Hanover County Reproductive Life Planning Education Courses
- NHRMC Women and Children's Triage or NHRMC Emergency Services
- Prescription Drugs During Pregnancy
- Using Painkillers During Pregnancy
- Treating Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Pregnancy - Overview
- Help, Resources, and Information: National Opioid Crisis
- Our Community Link: is a website for all your social service needs.
- What are Opioids and Overdose?
- What is the difference between prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs?
- The Complex World of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
- Opioids in the Elderly: Trends and New Guidelines
- Opioid and Heroin Abuse Among Our Veterans
- Stop, Learn, Go: Tips for Talking with Your Pharmacist to Learn How to Use Medicines Safely
- 10 Questions To Ask About The Medicines You Take
- Help, Resources, and Information: National Opioid Crisis
- Why Ask Health Questions?
- Quick Response Team: Call 910-833-2052 to access treatment services and care for overdose survivors, their friends and family.
- Our Community Link: is a website for all your social service needs.
Below are a few ways to get involved and help fight the opioid crisis through volunteering:
- Cape Fear Coalition for a Drug Free Tomorrow supports the community in its commitment to change attitudes, encourage action, and mobilize stakeholders around the issues of underage drinking, impaired driving, and substance abuse.
- Email Jane McDonald to get involved.
- Safe Kids Cape Fear strives to reduce the number of unintentional deaths and injury to children ages 0 to 19 years in our area through prevention, intervention, and education. The coalition promotes changes in attitudes, behavior, laws and the environment to prevent accidental injury to children.
- Email Julia Phelps to get involved.
State Information
- North Carolina's Response to the Medication and Drug Overdose Epidemic: 2000 to 2015 (PDF)
- Summary of Key Milestones and Prevention Strategies - NC. Division of Public Health
- North Carolina's Opioid Action Plan
- To tackle this health crisis, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is working to connect people with preventative healthcare, substance use disorder treatment, and community support. Learn more about how North Carolina and its partners are working to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 20% by 2021.
Federal Information
- Fact Sheet: FDA Opioids Action Plan
- Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- American Association of Poison Control Centers
- Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
- Safe Kids Worldwide
“The opioid epidemic is taking lives and tearing families apart across the country, including North Carolina. More people die in North Carolina of an accidental drug overdose – usually an opioid – than any other cause of accidental death.” – NC Department of Justice: Confronting NC’s Opioid Crisis