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Granville County approves three‑year renewal with North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition for naloxone distribution
Summary
The board unanimously approved a three‑year renewal with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition to continue county naloxone distribution and outreach; the opioid advisory committee had recommended the extension.
Granville County commissioners approved a three‑year contract renewal with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition on May 18 to continue community naloxone distribution and related outreach.
Kathy (county staff) introduced the item and said the opioid advisory committee had unanimously recommended continued funding. Elise Powell, executive director of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, told commissioners the program distributed more than 230 naloxone kits across the county during its initial months under contract and reached more than 40 people. “We are going out to where the folks who are at the highest risk are getting the naloxone that they need,” Powell said. She said the program connects people to services and that community distribution is a low‑cost way to prevent hospitalizations and save lives.
Powell said a single naloxone kit costs about $7 and that preventing hospitalizations reduces strain on rural hospitals: “It costs, on average, about $11,000 to hospitalize one person for an overdose. If they need ICU care, that’s $20,000 per person.” Commissioners discussed contract length; staff recommended three years to provide program stability and to support hiring and sustaining staff. A motion to accept the opioid advisory committee’s recommendation to renew the contract passed with board approval.
The contract renewal will be negotiated and finalized with the county attorney and county manager as required by procurement and contracting processes.
