Insurance Company Donates To Fight Addiction in Rural NC
Insurance giant Aetna gave $1 million to to the nonprofit North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) to purchase the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone.
As reported by North Carolina Public Radio, the Coalition will then distribute the drug in rural parts of the state.
Many people in rural North Carolina don’t have access to naloxone, according to NCHRC Executive Director Robert Childs.
“So we need to give people who use drugs and people who love people who use drugs access to lifesaving naloxone. And we plan on doing that in mass,” Childs said.
There is pressing need to distribute naloxone to drug users and their families in rural parts of the state because it can take longer for paramedics or law enforcement to respond to an opioid overdose, according to Childs.
The NC Harm Reduction Coalition focuses on:
* A non-judgmental approach that treats every person with dignity, compassion, and respect, regardless of circumstance or condition;
* Utilizing evidence-based, feasible, and cost-effective practices to prevent and reduce harm;
* Accepting behavior change as an incremental process in which individuals engage in self-discovery and transition through “stages of change;”
* Active and meaningful participation of drug users, former drug users, and community stakeholders in shaping sensible policies and practices around drug use.
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To learn more about how Aetna and the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition are helping fight the opioid epidemic in rural North Carolina, please visit WUNC.org.