Guilford County and local governments across the state are doing what they can to help substance abusers kick the habit – with a special focus now on deadly opioids such as fentanyl. However, public health workers and volunteer organizations across the state are also trying to help protect those who continue using drugs.

One way Guilford County does that is by distributing free kits with items designed to help people stay safer when using drugs. This kit is part of a “harm reduction” approach, which aims to prevent overdoses, infections, and other health risks for people who use drugs.

A new report from the NC Department of Health and Human Services on the programs around the state reveals that most counties have such programs – ones that give out clean syringes and other drug paraphernalia to drug users as a way to help keep them safer during drug use and, in some cases – such as in Guilford County – life-saving overdose reversal medicines.

Some of the items help reduce the role of infections from dirty needles and shared needles.

Much of the dangers of intravenous drug use come not from the drug itself but from the unsterile preparation and injection process that many addicts use. These programs, like the GCSTOP program in Guilford County, attempt to help addicts, at no cost, use drugs in the safest way possible.

At My Pharmacy on Phillips Avenue in Greensboro, users can request a GCSTOP kit at the pharmacy counter from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

The kits include the following:

  • Long or short syringes – for drug injection.
  • Naloxone – a life-saving medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose (popularly known as Narcan).
  • Test strips – drug test strips, which help check if drugs contain fentanyl, a powerful and dangerous opioid.
  • Sharps container – a hard plastic container for safely disposing of used needles.
  • Alcohol pads – small wipes with alcohol to clean the skin before injection and reduce the risk of infection.
  • Cookers – small metal containers (like bottle caps) used to dissolve drugs before injection.
  • Cottons – small cotton filters that help remove impurities before injecting.
  • Sterile water – clean water for dissolving drugs, meant to reduce the risk of infections.
  • Ties – elastic bands used to make veins easier to find for injection.

In addition to distributing the kits at My Pharmacy, teams of public health workers and others in mobile units go out into the community in Guilford County and distribute the kits to people in places like Food Lion parking lots, Shell stations and Walgreen’s parking lots.  A weekly schedule of distribution sites can be found at https://www.gcstop.org/programs/syringe-services-program/weekly-schedule.

One big benefit of the program is that it creates a human connection between drug users and a support system. These users are often people who might otherwise fall through the cracks of available social services.  Often those who begin by picking up the kits, end up being connected with mental health services, drug treatment programs or county social services.

The just-released report from the state on “Syringe Services Programs” (SSPs) covers the programs across the state from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

The goal of the harm reduction initiatives is to “reduce overdose deaths, reduce transmission of blood-borne pathogens including HIV and hepatitis C (HCV), and connect participants to treatment and care.”

State health officials say these programs play a “vital role in public health, safety, and the provision of compassionate, person-centered care for people who use drugs and people with substance use disorders.”

 According to the new report, there are now 50 Syringe Services Programs offering services in 62 North Carolina counties and in one federally recognized tribe. Those programs provided support to about 32,000 people during the time frame covered in the report.

Harm reduction Syringe Service Programs in North Carolina continue to play a key role in reducing the risks associated with drug use; however, the new data shows a decline in participation over the past year. According to the report, SSPs served 31,809 unique individuals – 6 percent fewer than in the previous year.  Also, total interactions between programs and participants dropped by 10 percent, with 113,688 recorded contacts.

Hopefully, it’s because drug use in the county is going down, but the reasons for the drop are unclear.

Despite expanded program coverage across the state, many North Carolinians still struggle to access the services. Some program participants traveled from 25 additional counties – and even five other states – to receive harm reduction support in one form or another, which state health officials say shows the ongoing need for more SSPs in underserved areas.

While the programs aren’t required to collect demographic data, some voluntarily report participant details. The majority of those accessing services were between the ages of 35 and 44 (34 percent), followed by people aged between 25 and 34 (28 percent) and those in the 45 to 54 range (18 percent).

Gender reporting varied, with nearly 40 percent of participants choosing not to disclose that information. However, among those who did, 55 percent identified as male, 44 percent as female and the rest reported as non-binary or another gender identity. A total of 79 participants identified as transgender.

Racial data was also incomplete; 34 percent of participants declined to report. Of those who did, 82 percent identified as white and 11 percent identified as Black or African American.

As is the case in Guilford County, the services in other parts of the state usually do far more than just distribute sterile syringes. Many programs offer naloxone kits and other harm reduction supplies like test strips for fentanyl and xylazine, safer sex materials, wound care items and hygiene supplies.

According to the new report, access remains a challenge—especially for “historically marginalized communities,” which face disproportionately high rates of overdose deaths – yet aren’t using SSP services at equally high rates. According to state health officials, this discrepancy highlights the need for targeted outreach and expanded service availability in these communities.

While more than half – 56 percent – of North Carolina’s SSPs are funded by their county governments, many programs are run by non-profits and are facing financial struggles. Four programs in the state reported having no funding at all and expressed concerns about their ability to continue providing services.

The report concludes, “Supporting SSP infrastructure development is key to being able to meet the wide-ranging needs of all North Carolinians. While support for harm reduction and overdose prevention is increasing, SSPs often still operate with extremely limited budgets and work with a variety of funding restrictions that impact their ability to function. Grassroots, community-based SSPs face disparities in funding and report running out of naloxone and harm reduction supplies or having to ration them more frequently than other program models. Increasing access to SSPs and naloxone saves money and saves lives.”

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