BY DEBBIE PAGE
Jennifer Kilby, Iredell County Health Department Substance Misuse Prevention Outreach Coordinator, and Latoya Sneed, Substance Misuse Prevention Community Health Worker, led a community health forum in November to learn about county citizens’ struggles with substance misuse, including their risk factors, barriers to treatment, and desired treatment options.
Iredell County continues to recover form the unexpected effects of COVID-19 pandemic, which increased both physical and mental health issues as well as substance use disorder (SUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), Kilby said.
To achieve a drug-free community, a concerted and unified effort is needed, including the involvement of parents, youth, businesses, media, schools, youth organizations, law enforcement, civic organizations, faith-based organizations, healthcare professionals, government at all levels, and substance use prevention organizations.
A call to action to these groups can inspire these various entities to work together to mitigate SUD risk factors, including socio-economic status, social pressure, culture, family and peer attitudes toward substance use, mental health issues, and genetic predisposition.
Though many SUD services and resources are available through the Health Department, the Drug-Alcohol Coalition of Iredell (DACI) (https://www.daciredell.com/), the EMS Community Response Support Team (https://www.iredellsheriff.com/1696/Community-Response-Support-Team), Partners (Behavioral Health Crisis Line: 1-833-353-2093; 24 hours/day every day), and various local providers, Kilby noted many community members are unaware of this assistance when a time of crisis occurs.
Kilby said the goal for the community forum was to provide community members and partners with information about the Health Department’s Substance Misuse Prevention Team, to discuss what programs and educational materials it can provide to the community, and to create space for those affected by substance misuse to voice their concerns and knowledge of substance misuse.
“Our largest takeaway came from the acknowledgement of the available resources in Iredell County for individuals dealing with SUD/AUD. However, regardless of the number of services offered, it is clear that we need to continue to work closely with our community partners to create additional pathways for the community to learn of their existence, so more individuals can utilize these services,” said Kilby.
SUBSTANCE MISUSE PREVENTION TEAM
The Substance Misuse Prevention Team, funded by Opioid Settlement Grant funds, was created to provide evidence-based prevention education to youth within the community. Kilby and Sneed partner with local school systems, youth-serving non-profits, churches, and other community-based organizations to reach youths with prevention information.
Through community partnerships, the team can offer larger education sessions, including lived experience, Narcan training, prevention education, and current data about substance misuse.
Kilby and Sneed have had a busy year providing educational resources at over 60 events in the community. They have also worked with the Statesville Police Department during their summer camp and Success Institute Charter School with early intervention training.
The team’s current goals include expanding their program reach through community partnerships, expanding the number of organizations they partner with to provide evidence-based education, and an overall reduction in youth who begin using or experimenting with substances.
Though the department does not provide SUD treatment, Kilby said the team can provide linkage to resources.
Though all substance misuse is a pressing health concern, Kilby said “our primary focus is the prevention of substance misuse, especially opioid use and substance use disorders in children and adolescents, through evidence-based education.”
YOUTH-FOCUSED PROGRAMS
The youth-focused, evidence-based education programs the department offers include Catch My Breath, Project Alert, Safety First, and Too Good For Drugs.
Catch My Breath is the only evidence-based youth nicotine vaping prevention program for grades 5-12 that has been proven to substantially reduce students’ likelihood of vaping. The training consists of four 30-40 minute sessions and includes a parent toolkit. Health Department staff can provide this educational program within any organization or train organization staff to teach the program.
Project ALERT’s goal is to prevent non-users from trying drugs and to prevent experimenters from becoming regular users. The curriculum is taught once a week over 11 weeks in seventh grade, followed by three booster lessons given over three weeks in eighth grade to reinforce the lessons and solidify outcomes. The frequency of the 45-minute lessons is intentional because a one-time lesson is not enough to instill self-efficacy and resistance skills. The program is delivered in middle school because these young teens are beginning to make new friends and have new experiences.
“We also know from national substance use data that middle school is a prime time for prevention programming. Substance use increases as students get older, meaning the opportunity and pressures to use increase over time,” said Kilby.
Safety First is made up of 13 lessons on alcohol, opioids/fentanyl, psychedelics, and other drugs. Each lesson is 30-40 minutes in length for students in grades 9-12.
“The purpose of all our curricula is to encourage youth to abstain from use, but this curriculum also includes a clear harm-reduction message for youth who are experimenting or using,” said Kilby.
Kilby and Sneed are attending training in February to be certified to teach the Too Good for Drugs, a universal K-12 prevention education program which focuses on skill development designed to mitigate risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
The lessons introduce and develop skills for healthy choice making, building positive friendships, developing self-efficacy, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure and influence.
Too Good for Drugs teaches five essential character development skills to build self-efficacy, promote healthy development, and academic success: Setting Reachable Goals, Making Responsible Decisions, Bonding with Others, Identifying and Managing Emotions, and Communicating Effectively.
In grades K-3, students participate in ten 30-minute, fully scripted, research-based lessons. In grades 4 -5, students have ten 45-minute lessons, with the grades 6-12 program consisting of ten 50-minute lessons.
2023 IREDELL COUNTY STATISTICS
NC DETECT data tracks treatment for various causes at the county level in the state’s emergency departments, including care related to substance and alcohol use disorders and overdoses.
Through October 19, 1,568 community members sought treatment for substance misuse/dependence at Iredell County emergency departments, including one infant. Nine middle-schoolers, 64 high school students, and 166 people ages 19-24 were treated.
The largest demographic seeking SUD treatment was young adults ages 25-44 (717 admissions), with the second largest group comprised of 505 middle-age adults. For people 65 or older, ERs saw 105 patients.
That is up from the same period in 2022 when only 1,533 sought drug misuse care in the county ERs. Younger people received care at higher rates in 2022, including three infants under age 1, 75 in middle or high school, and 170 college age.
Young adults were also higher at 774, with middle-age adult (407) and senior (104) admissions lower than in 2023.
In 2022, from January 1 – October 19, 113 opioid overdoses occurred. During the same period in 2023, the county’s ERs treated 123 for opioid overdose, with four under age 18 years old, 18 in the college age group, 59 among young adults, 42 in the 45-64 age group, and 10 over age 65.
The biggest increases in opioid overdoses were in the 45-64 age group (up 20), while young adults decreased by 10.
Alcohol intoxication/poisoning is also a rising community problem, especially among adult age groups. ERs treated 457 through October 19 of last year, compared to 604 patients this year.
Forty-eight patients were under age 24, with 181 in the adult age group, 211 in middle age, and 51 age 65 or older.
Treatment for alcohol use and dependence is down slightly so far this year, with 1,240 patients treated in ERs versus 1,284 in the same period in 2022. In both years, adults 25 and older were the largest groups to seek care (1,188 in 2023, 1,231 in 2022).
MH/SUD SUMMIT PLANNED FOR DECEMBER 15
The Health Department will partner with McLeod Centers for Wellbeing, Integrated Care of Greater Hickory, and the non-profits Recovery NC and Day One Recovery Homes to present the “Empower Minds, Break Chains: A Summit on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders” on December 15.
Speakers will include Melissa Cruse, Program Coordinator of Integrated Care of Greater Hickory (ICGH) and Wayne McMeans, ICGH Lead Peer Support Specialist.
The event will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Statesville Civic Center (300 South Center Street). Lunch will be provided.
To sign up, visit https://EmpowerMindsBreakChains.eventbrite.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
♦ Jennifer Kilby, Substance Misuse Prevention Outreach Coordinator
Email: jennifer.kilby@co.iredell.nc.us Phone: 704-878-5300 (ext. 5541)
♦ Latoya Sneed, Substance Misuse Prevention Community Health Worker
Email: latoya.sneed@co.iredell.nc.us Phone: 704-878-5300 (ext. 3445)
Services offered: Substance misuse education, outreach materials, linkage to community resources.