Smoky Mountain Harm Reduction to Place Nalaxone Box at Site of Overdose Death

PRESS RELEASE (05-06-2024)
SMOKY MOUNTAIN HARM REDUCTION

Advocates meet to share data on poll in support of reforming laws to better prevent overdose deaths in North Carolina

Raleigh, NC – The “Expand Good Sam NC” coalition is hosting three events across North Carolina to share the results of a new poll around voter attitudes on reforming the state’s Good Samaritan laws and call on the North Carolina General Assembly to modernize the law during this year’s short session. Coalition members include the Guilford County Solution to the Opioid Problem (GCSTOP), Community Education Group (CEG), Smoky Mountain Harm Reduction, the North Carolina AIDS Action Network (NCAAN), and Addiction Professionals of North Carolina (APNC).

“Good Samaritan laws extend legal protection to individuals who call for help on behalf of someone experiencing an overdose,” said Lee Storrow, CEG senior director of external affairs. “These are important laws, but currently, North Carolina’s Good Samaritan laws only extend protection to the individual calling for help.” The provision does not currently provide protection for any other individual who is administering critical aid, such as CPR, at the scene.

North Carolina’s Good Samaritan laws also only extend that protection if there is less than one gram of a drug at the overdose scene. Any more than that and individuals who call for help or administer critical aid could face prosecution. “For individuals who struggle with substance use, there’s a good chance they already have more than one gram of a drug on their person,” said Storrow. “This means that a bystander runs the risk of having to decide whether to call for help to prevent a fatal overdose, or not intervene at all in order to avoid possible prosecution.”

According to Randy Abbott, coalition coordinator and parent advocate, almost 40 percent of North Carolinians surveyed in this new poll reported knowing of someone who died from an overdose. This same poll found that of the individuals surveyed, 60 percent of those in rural communities know someone who is affected by substance use. “Substance use and overdose are issues that more North Carolinians deal with than we realize, and oftentimes we’re not good at talking about this issue,” said Abbot. “We can’t prevent overdose, but we can prevent overdose deaths–and it begins with us raising awareness and changing our Good Samaritan laws so we can help our friends and loved ones get the medical attention they need.”

The Expand Good Sam NC coalition’s events, which will be held on Monday, May 6 at 2 p.m. in Franklin, Greensboro, and Greenville, will dive deeper into the results of the poll. “What this poll found is that active voters in North Carolina believe that the health and safety of our community members matters, and that our Good Samaritan laws should be reformed to prioritize protecting bystanders who want to save the lives of their loved ones,” said Matt Martin of NC AIDS Action Network. “Reforming our Good Samaritan laws means that folks who use drugs–and those that love them–have hope for a healthier, safer future.” The poll was conducted by Strategic Partners Solutions, LLC and Paul Shumaker, founder and president of Capitol Communications, served as project manager.

Event in Franklin

The Expand Good Sam event in Franklin will be led by Smoky Mountain Harm Reduction and take place at 37 Phillips Street, Franklin, NC 28734. In addition to their event, Smoky Mountain Harm Reduction will be placing a free naloxone box at the site of a recent overdose death. “More than anything, we want our community to know that help, resources, and hope is out there and that they’re not alone,” said Diannee Carden-Glenn.

The event in Greensboro will be led by GCSTOP and take place at the Melvin Municipal Building at 300 W. Washington Street. The event in Greenville will be led by Community Education Group, NC AIDS Action Network, and ekiM for Change and take place downtown near the intersection of Evans Street and 5th Street.

“These poll results tell us that North Carolinians want these laws to change, and we hope that during this current legislative session that the General Assembly takes note and reforms our state’s Good Samaritan laws,” said Storrow. For full poll results and analysis, contact Lee Storrow at lstorrow@communityeducationgroup.org.

About The Community Education Group

Since 1993, the Community Education Group (CEG) has worked to eliminate disparities in health outcomes and improve public health in disadvantaged populations and under-served communities. CEG conducts research, trains community health workers, educates and tests people who are hard to reach or at risk, shares its expertise through national networks and local capacity-building efforts, and advocates for practical and effective health policies that lead to social change. @CEGInWV