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State health officials cite drop in suspected overdose deaths, underscore prevention and naloxone distribution
Summary
North Carolina health officials said suspected overdose deaths and emergency department visits showed encouraging declines in 2024, and outlined prevention work including naloxone distribution ("over 114,000 doses"), a 'Lock your meds' campaign and an anti‑stigma effort called Unshamed North Carolina.
Marybeth Cox, an epidemiologist with the Division of Public Health, told attendees the department’s interactive overdose dashboard shows a recent decline in suspected overdose deaths and emergency department visits, saying, “looking at 2024, the suspected deaths, we saw a 27 percent decrease.”
Kelly Crosby, director of the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services, framed the numbers as part of a broader prevention package. "We’ve distributed over a 114,000 doses," Crosby said, referring to naloxone dispensed by the department and partners.
Cox noted the dashboard distinguishes provisional and finalized data and that death data lag emergency department figures; the suspected‑death measure is a timelier proxy while cases remain under investigation. She cautioned the decreases still leave suspected deaths higher than pre‑COVID levels and encouraged use of the dashboard’s county reports and downloadable data for local planning.
Crosby described prevention outreach that officials say has changed behaviors: the "Lock your meds, talk it up, lock it up" campaign and county lockbox distributions aimed at reducing unintended medication access. She also introduced an anti‑stigma public education effort, Unshamed North Carolina, to reduce barriers to treatment and supports.
Officials pointed to partnerships with counties, the Division of Public Health, tribal programs (the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was named), and community organizations in deploying prevention activities and distributing naloxone. Cox urged jurisdictions with small counts to contact her team for custom data requests if county reports are suppressed for privacy.
The webinar materials, including the dashboard and slide set with final 2023 death data, will be posted on the division’s Community Engagement and Training page. The department invited questions via the substanceusedata@dhhs.nc.gov listserv and said the next webinar is scheduled for April 7, 2025, 2–3 p.m.
