Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center among six to receive $1.4M state grant for opioid support
Six North Carolina hospitals and health systems, including Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, will receive a grant from the state Department of Health and Human Services to staff emergency rooms with opioid-addiction peer support specialists. DHHS, which is partnering with the North Carolina Healthcare Association on the project, is funding the $1.37 million grant.
In 2016, roughly 42,249 Americans died from opioid-related overdoses, including at least 1,956 confirmed deaths in North Carolina. The state’s death toll marked a 24.7 percent increase from 2015’s confirmed total, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The hospitals and systems participating in the one-year program each will receive up to $180,000 in reimbursements in exchange for hiring at least two so-called “certified peer-support specialists.” To qualify, specialists will have been clean and in drug recovery for at least three years. They will be placed in the emergency departments to connect opioid-addicted patients with treatment and related support resources.