My Turn: Fighting the opioid epidemic in Gaston County
The negative impacts of opioids in this country has reached a crisis level. Gaston County has not been immune to this epidemic with many of our citizens struggling with addiction and others suffering the loss of a loved one to overdose.
In 2022 the Gaston County Police Department investigated 50 fatal overdose cases which represents a 117% increase from the prior year and a 173% from 12 overdose investigations in 2019. Non-fatal overdose calls for service continue to skyrocket in Gaston County as well. However, Gaston County continues to be at the forefront of this war with the creation an implementation of innovative programs that go far beyond the traditional community responses to this epidemic.
The Gaston County Controlled Substances Coalition (GCSC) was formed in 2016 after a town hall meeting revealed the need for an organized and focused efforts to combat the problem. The GCSC serves as the central governing organization which facilitates a collaboration between county leadership, community entities, and our citizens in an effort to combat this ongoing crisis. The work of the GCSC has been recognized as a model program for counties throughout our state and is just one example of how Gaston County is leading in innovation and creativity in fighting the opioid epidemic.
The Gaston County Police Department is a member of the Controlled Substances Coalition and quickly understood there is simply no way law enforcement can arrest their way out of this problem. County Police leadership recognized the overwhelming increase in both fatal and non-fatal overdoses in Gaston County and the need to act for our citizens. As a result, the Gaston County Police Department redirected a portion of their funding to create the Gaston County Recovery Court program. This new initiative works in partnership with the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office, Public Defenders Office, substance abuse treatment providers, and other members of the criminal justice system. The goal of the program is to provide low level offenders currently in the criminal justice system avenues to address the underlying issues, and provide structured pathways to recovery, rather than simply imposing fines and incarceration. This is a significant deviation from the traditional “lock up the offenders” approach of law enforcement.
In 2021 the Gaston County Police Department applied for a federal grant to fund a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. In late 2022 the County Police were awarded a $1.2 million grant providing funding for this new program. The goal of LEAD is to divert low level drug offenders, before they enter the criminal justice system, and provide “wrap-around” community services with the goal of long term recovery rather than continue in the cycle of repeated arrests and potential life threatening overdose. The County Police LEAD program has partnered with Gaston Together, Gaston County District Attorney, Phoenix Counseling, and Olive Branch Ministries to provide the desperately needed treatment for substance use disorders while diverting the individual from the criminal justice system.
These are just a few examples of the work being done to fight the opioid crisis in Gaston. The time to get involved in this crisis is now. It is human nature to not get involved with things until it shows itself in your home. I pray we all get involved and act before this crisis comes to your family, friends, neighbors, or loved ones. I am proud of the County Police, and all of our County Government agencies and community organizations, who are working tirelessly for our community.
As your Gaston County Commissioner, and fellow citizen, I will continue to work beside them and pray we are successful in positively impacting the lives of our citizens in battling the opioid epidemic.
Tom Keigher is a Gaston County commissioner.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Fighting the opioid epidemic in Gaston County
