NORFOLK, Va. — Dare County officials laid out their plan to allocate $370,000 over the next year to support the fight against the opioid epidemic.
Nearly $100,000 will purchase naloxone and fentanyl test strips for community distribution, along with additional funding for community initiatives and peer support specialists.
In 2021, several drug companies agreed to reach a $26 billion settlement in a lawsuit over their roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic.
North Carolina received $750 million with 85 percent of the funding allocated for local governments to support communities impacted by opioids.
Over the next 18 years, Dare County is scheduled to receive more than $6.2 million.
"It's a high percentage of our community that is dying from fentanyl," said Roxana Ballinger, Dare County health education and community outreach manager.
In 2022, fentanyl contributed to 17 out of the 20 overdose deaths in Dare County, which is 85 percent.
Ballinger presented the plan to the board of commissioners Tuesday night, which also happened to be National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
She said students have been among those who have died from fentanyl-laced pills.
The settlement money is designated to help supply treatment, recovery support and harm reduction.
In April, Dare County officials released a survey asking residents for feedback on ways to effectively use the money. An overwhelming majority of respondents agreed substance abuse treatment (97 percent), social determinants of health (79 percent), naloxone and fentanyl kits (88 percent) and funding for the Dare County Detention Center (95) are good uses of the funding.
Ballinger also co-chairs Saving Lives Task Force, a non-profit group working to address substance use issues in the area.
She said they have doubled the amount of fentanyl test strips over the past year, and the area now provides two peer support specialists.
"We're getting a lot of education out there, not only for the people that have substance abuse disorders but for parents, teens and young adults," said Ballinger. "Parents are fearful for their children because of the fake pills that are out there that are laced with fentanyl."
AGENCIES SOUND THE ALARM ON NATIONAL FENTANYL AWARENESS DAY
The announcement comes as communities across the nation and in Hampton Roads fight to raise awareness on National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
"Fentanyl is the most dangerous drug threat facing the United States and the Hampton Roads area," said Assistant Special Agent Patrick Hartig of the DEA Norfolk District office.
In Virginia, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 415,000 fentanyl-laced fake pills in 2023, which is a 260 percent increase from the previous year.
Hartig said the vast majority of pills confiscated by investigators contained lethal amounts of fentanyl, which is considered 2 milligrams or more. He called the issue a driving force for overdoses in the nation, especially for ages 18 to 45 years old.
"I believe the threat here in Hampton Roads is just as significant as anywhere else in the United States," said Hartig.
According to DEA officials, the dangerous drugs take an international trek to Hampton Roads communities.
Agents said the chemicals to make fentanyl are produced in China, and then, the materials travel to Mexico, where cartels produce the drugs in powder and pill form.
The drugs are later smuggled into the United States, including to the Hampton Roads region, from the southwest border. Hartig said the drugs are transported by parcel delivery services, tractor trailers and personal or rental vehicles.
In 2023, the DEA seized more than 79.5 million fake fentanyl-laced pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder across the country. This is the most fentanyl seized by the DEA in a single year.
"We know the drugs we are seizing have fentanyl, and they are not what they are prescribed to be," said Hartig.
Laboratory testing indicates approximately seven out of every 10 pills seized by federal agents are counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
Hartig says most users of the drugs do not have a way of knowing what the pills contain.
That's why experts recommend only taking pills from a licensed physician or pharmacies.
"If you have a pill and you take it, it could kill you," said Hartig.
The DEA's "One Pill Can Kill" campaign is one of many launched by organizations across the country to help save lives from substance misuse and abuse.
Across the Commonwealth on Tuesday, dozens of municipalities and health agencies hosted programs to promote awareness of the dangers and to provide resources for community members.
That includes the Hampton Newport News Community Services Board. The group held a training session for the public to teach people how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose emergency. The group collaborated with REVIVE!, a group dedicated to free opioid overdose and naloxone education for all Virginians. An official said the Hampton Newport News CSB plans to host future trainings, and interested people can contact them at (757)-788-0300 or follow the website.
Efforts are also taking place in Portsmouth, where city officials are working to get Narcan into the hands of people.
"Portsmouth has the highest overdose rate of any of the seven cities," said Ashanti Kincannon, the city's health equity specialist. "It's important for us to get the awareness out of the public, as well as provide the necessary tools in case someone experiences an overdose."
In 2022, 95 people died in Portsmouth as a result of using fentanyl.
The city is offering to give residents "Save a Life Kits," including two doses of naloxone, the generic name for Narcan, and the federal-approved medicine to reverse opioid overdose.
Community members can contact the Portsmouth Health Department to receive a kit.
"The kit does not encourage drug use, but safe drug use," said Avanti Allen-Benson of the Portsmouth Health Department. "We are trying to change that stigma because it's a health issue."
She said they encounter people from all walks of life who are impacted by fentanyl and need help.
For National Fentanyl Awareness Day, the city's health department hosted a screening of the film, The New Drug Talk, which highlights critical issues and consequences of fentanyl misuse.
Kincannon said they are trying to educate people about the vast impact of drug misuse, but also the factors that can contribute to the problem.
"It's also an equity issue," she said.
Residents can contact the Portsmouth Health Department at (757) 393-8585.