ROCKINGHAM — The amount of naloxone administered by first responders in Richmond County more than quadrupled in 2022 from the previous year.
According to data from the county’s Drug Endangered Family Task Force, 712.9 mg of were used by first responders last year, compared to just 168.5 mg in 2021.
(Disclosure: This writer is a media representative for the task force.)
October saw the highest usage with 106.4 mg administered — more than eight times the amount from January and 63% of the total amount in 2021 — to 26 patients.
Throughout the year, 196 patients were given naloxone and 68 of them were given multiple doses.
Social Services Director Robby Hall said during a DEFT meeting Wednesday that higher doses may be required for recovery, depending on what caused the overdose.
In just January of this year, 87.5 mg were given to 20 patients.
Those numbers do not include doses administered by families or individuals on the streets.
Hall said that all CPS workers now carry naloxone, in addition to the first responders with law enforcement, emergency medical services and fire departments.
“Having it available can save a life,” Hall said.
According to the N.C. Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan Dashboard, there were 199 emergency room visits due to overdose in the county in 2022 — 20 more than the previous year — at a rate of 443.9 per 100,000, which is much higher than the state average of 150.8.
Although Wake County, which has the highest population in North Carolina, had 1,125 visits, its rate is only 101.2, lower than the state average.
In 2021, Richmond topped the state with the highest rate. However, in 2022, that distinction went to Robeson County with a rate of 457 (597 actual). Richmond is still near the top of the list with the second-highest rate.
Among counties with similar populations, Richmond stands out with nearly four times the number of visits than Beaufort County.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services recently reported a 22% increase in overdose deaths in 2021 for a total of 4,041. Of those, 38 were in Richmond County at a rate more than twice the state average.
Coinciding with the emergency room visits, Robeson and Richmond counties led the state with death rates of 97.2 and 84.8, respectively.
Click here to read the NCDDHS press release.
Full overdose death statistics for 2022 have not yet been released. However, there had been 1,911 by July across the state and 19 in Richmond County.
(Note: State data differ slightly from what the RO reported in June of 2022. Click here to read that story.)
According to the state, 77% of overdose deaths involved fentanyl, either alone or in combination with other drugs.
The Drug Enforcement Administration labels fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin, as “the deadliest drug threat facing this country.”
Just 2 mg of the drug, according to the DEA, is considered lethal.
The DEA reportedly seized more than 379 million fatal doses of fentanyl in 2022, in either powder form or as laced fake prescription pills.
Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running for governor in 2024, announced this week that he is requesting additional prosecutors for a fentanyl control unit.
Click here to read that story from the Carolina Journal.
