The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will provide $10 million to 39 local EMS agencies across the state to expand rural access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and services.
The grants will provide EMS agencies with tools, training and resources to support residents with substance use disorders beyond the initial 911 call as well as support medication for opioid use disorder, rapid follow-up care after overdose events and connections to treatment and recovery services, according to a June 8 news release from NCDHHS. The funding will be provided through the North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program.
Residents in rural parts of the state experienced higher rates of both fatal drug overdoses and overdose-related emergency department visits in 2021 than their urban counterparts, according to the release.
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