Buncombe County opioid overdose rate nearly tripled in 2017

Beyond its strains on health care, North Carolina’s opioid epidemic in some areas has overwhelmed social workers, law enforcement and even community organizations, representatives from those groups told state Attorney General Josh Stein on Monday.

Buncombe County in the first eight months of this year alone has seen 230 cases of opioid overdose, up from 84 over the same period last year, with 25- to 34-year-old white adults most at risk, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

These numbers have been steadily rising, with particular spikes seen in Western North Carolina counties, like Buncombe, which has a recorded rate of 68 pills prescribed per person per year, according to state figures. 

"I've talked to addicts who would've sold their mothers for their next fix," said Stein, who met with groups in McDowell and Rutherford counties Monday.

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Stein has joined 40 other attorneys general to investigate five opioid drugmakers and three distributors to see whether they are contributors to overdoses and addictions to painkillers.

"There are people profiting off of misery and that will stop," Stein said.

In his meetings Monday with representatives from law enforcement, hospitals, social service departments and community groups, Stein heard similar concerns.

Lisa Sprouse, director of the Department of Social Services in McDowell County, shared stories from her time working with infants who have tested positive for ecstasy, methamphetamine and a cocktail of opioids. Her concern was that children in the foster care system are not a priority.

"Ninety percent of the kids that come to us are testing positive for substance abuse," Sprouse said during the McDowell county town hall meeting at Freedom Life Ministries. 

"Children are testing positive for eight different drugs and they are infants to five years old," Sprouse said.

Another point of concern came from Rebecca Segal, CEO of Rutherford Regional Health System. Hospital emergency departments are becoming the drop-off point for opioid addicts, but the hospitals are not paid to treat patients beyond their immediate health risks.

"We can get people through their initial overdose but we are not mental health services, so we have to then transport them somewhere else," Segal said. "We don't have the room or the resources for them."

Law enforcement officers and substance abuse counselors echoed Segal's concerns and said there needs to be a safe place to send addicts after they have been treated for an overdose.

Leigh Justice, a substance abuse counselor, said people addicted to opioids often lack support post-sobriety.

"These people, they can't find work after they are clean and if they are failing then we need to look at ourselves too," Justice said.

Agencies able to help need to communicate better, said Danny Hampton, Freedom Life Ministries executive director.

"We have to take responsibilities for what is happening in our counties," he said.

Education at an early age was another point of concern.

"By the time kids are in seventh and eighth grades it is too late - they have already made up their minds and will start experimenting," said Donna Bruce, a provision coordinator.

Many kids think that because the pills are prescribed by a doctor that there is no harm in taking them, Stein said.

"We have a big education hurdle in front us because kids don't see it as a problem to use opioids that aren't theirs with no supervision," Stein said.

Stories of success and of setbacks were shared among community members. One story was of a 17-year-old high school baseball star who slid into a heroin addiction after tearing his rotator cuff. His parents tried to manage his pain with prescription pills but that led to an addiction that almost cost him his life.  

Stein said last year only one out of 10 opioid addicts received proper treatment.

"All of us have a piece in solving this, if we do all work together and learn from each other we can turn the tide and save more lives across the state," Stein said.