NC State University Program Combats Opioid Overdoses

Last year, more than 2,000 people in North Carolina died because of unintentional opioid-related overdoses, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Some 6,700 children were placed in foster care last year because of parental substance use. There were more than 8,000 emergency visits to hospitals due to overdoses — unintentional and otherwise.

The NC State Addictions Specialist Certificate Program for Paraprofessionals offers courses that cover topics such as treatment of opioid disorders, medication-assisted recovery and nutrition during recovery, all of which count toward requirements for substance-abuse counselor state certification.

“As you look across the United States, North Carolina is one of the leaders in opioid overdoses,” says Qiana Cryer-Coupet, an associate professor of social work who helped establish the program. “We’re really working to combat that.”

https://news.ncsu.edu/2021/09/new-training-program-aids-effort-to-reduce-overdoses/