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Carteret County post‑overdose response team reports large declines in overdoses and emergency visits
Summary
County-funded post‑overdose response team said it reached more than 500 people over two years and reported a 77% drop in overall overdose deaths and a 52% drop in emergency‑department overdose visits since 2022.
Brooke Lane, the county’s post‑overdose response team lead, told the Carteret County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 18 that the team has connected hundreds of residents to treatment and community services and that county overdose indicators have fallen sharply since the program began.
Lane said the team — funded through opioid settlement money — “helped 400 or 521 total clients in Carter County in the last 2 years” and has a 96% contact rate for referrals and overdose follow‑ups. She told the board the program distributed “over 1,800 Naloxone doses in the community,” conducted thousands of follow‑up tasks and recorded nearly 300 people entering treatment while engaged with the team.
The presentation stressed how the team’s real‑time responses with EMS and law enforcement reduce repeat overdoses and free first‑responder capacity. Lane said Carteret County saw a 77% decrease in overdose deaths from 2022 to 2024, a 91% decrease in deaths tied to illicit opioids and fentanyl, a 52% decrease in overdose visits to emergency departments and an 87% drop in 911 calls related to overdoses.
“Those are Carter County lives that were lost in 2022,” Lane said, adding the program’s approach pairs certified peer support specialists with clients to address housing, employment, food security and other needs that often underlie substance use disorders.
Emergency Services Director Stephen Ray told commissioners the county’s emergency operations and partner agencies have collaborated with the port team so responders know a peer support specialist will follow up after an overdose scene. Ray said that coordination has allowed EMS to focus on other critical calls.
Commissioner John Quinn praised the results during commissioner comment, saying of Lane’s figures: “Ninety‑one percent decrease in opioid deaths. That is just simply remarkable.” Vice Chairman Mansfield said the program “ranks up there at near the top, if not the top.”
Lane noted the team’s work earned a North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Excellence in Innovation Award and that Carteret staff are hosting delegations from other counties seeking to replicate the model. She said the team piloted a case‑management software called Goldie to reduce documentation time and increase direct client contact.
The presentation did not include a board vote. Commissioners thanked Lane and county staff and urged continued support for the program’s partnerships with EMS, law enforcement and health providers.
