Path to Recovery: International Overdose Awareness Day is on Aug. 31
International Overdose Awareness Day reminds us that overdoses are preventable, and effective prevention solutions exist.
For the past few years, Buncombe County Government has addressed substance use and overdoses in our community through several effective programs and initiatives to ensure everyone has a path to recovery. For some, life-saving support is step number one in that path to recovery.
Between 2022 and projected 2025 numbers, overdose deaths fell 46%, and emergency department overdose visits dropped 32%. In 2021, a person experiencing an overdose might not survive if no one nearby had naloxone, and if they did survive, they often left the ER without follow-up and returned to the same risks after jail release.
Today, that experience looks different. In 2024, Community Paramedicine saw an average of 13 overdoses a month reversed by a community member. By 2026, that number had risen to 18, showing the impact of naloxone distribution and education. Access to medication after an overdose has strengthened as well. In 2024, 30% of Community Paramedic-responded overdoses led to immediate access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD); by 2026, that number rose to 54%, even with fewer overdose calls overall.
Several County initiatives and programs have helped pave a path where overdoses can be prevented and where individuals can receive long-term support.
They include:
- Creation and growth of the Community Paramedic program, which includes a Rapid Response Team that focuses on accidental opiate and other substance overdoses. There are four teams that operate 24/7.
- Implementation of the community re-entry team, helping to navigate resources for those recently released from jail.
- Expanded access to treatment and clinical services, including access to MOUD.
- Expanded distribution and training of the overdose reversal medication naloxone and access to clean and safe supplies.
- The Harm Reduction Program, based out of 40 Coxe Ave expanded, adding a dedicated Peer Case Manager and serving 3,041 unique individuals lastFY alone.
This work was made possible through National Opioid Settlement funding, which Buncombe County is slated to receive over $30 million through 2038.
The County is currently developing the FY 28-30 Opioid Settlement Funding Strategic Plan that will guide how opioid settlement funds will be used in the coming years.
In addition, the County has been working on community training and anti-stigma awareness campaigns. A big part of the work includes engaging the whole community in efforts to combat overdoses.
Upcoming Community Opportunities
To honor Overdose Awareness Day, SeekHealing is hosting an Overdose Awareness Day event on Aug. 31 from 5-8 p.m. at Carrier Park to hold our grief and healing by sharing stories, connecting, and enjoying food. The County is also lighting the Courthouse purple to recognize Overdose Awareness Day and those impacted by overdose.
Later that same week, the County is supporting the WNC Recovery Rally on Sept. 3 at Pack Square Park in Downtown Asheville from 2 – 7 p.m. The event will feature over 90 organizations as well as speakers, live music, food trucks, giveaways, and more. Join partners that bring hope and healing in Western North Carolina, showing that recovery is all around us.
Residents can drop in and receive overdose reversal training and free supplies at the County’s monthly trainings hosted at 40 Coxe Avenue in Downtown Asheville. The next trainings are on Sept. 24, Oct. 29, Nov. 19, and December 17 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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