Forsyth County is getting millions of dollars from settlements with opioid manufacturers — money aimed at helping communities heal from the impacts of the opioid crisis. Over the past two years, the county has launched a range of programs and initiatives with those funds.
WFDD’s April Laissle spoke with Annie Vasquez, a substance abuse health educator with the Forsyth County Department of Public Health, about how the money’s been used so far and whether it’s making a measurable difference.
Interview highlights
On using the funding in innovative ways:
"We're able to fund some of the things that maybe people aren't able to bill Medicaid for — things that people don't think people may need in recovery. For instance: 'I have two flat tires, and I don't know how to pay for those.' And well, we know if you don't have transportation, you can't go get your meds, you can't go get your kids, you can't go to work, and then one thing piles on top of another, and the next thing you know, your treatment is all out of whack. So we're able to fund some programs that cover those things."
On progress:
"We have seen a lot of progress as far as enrollments in medication-assisted therapies. Some of that is not due to opioid settlement funding, full disclosure, a lot of that is due to expanded Medicaid. So that's really nice. We're also seeing within our county a decrease in overdose deaths, which is great. And we're seeing the community really talk about Narcan or Naloxone."
On challenges:
"One of the biggest takeaways is, yes, we're seeing a decrease overall in opioid deaths and who's using, but within our minority populations, we're actually seeing an increase somewhat. I'm just going to say it and own it: We need to do a better job reaching the minority communities."