Event to highlight local opioid crisis
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on March 30, 2018 5:50 AM
A retired physician and member of the N.C. League of Women Voters will visit Goldsboro April 7 to talk about the state's opioid crisis and possible solutions.
Dr. James Foster, chairman of the league's Health Care Action Team, will focus on the crisis in Wayne County, where opioid-related deaths have continued to increase during the past decade.
"Not only are the numbers increasing but they're increasing every year," Foster said. "It's a statewide spike. It's not just Wayne County. We're all experiencing this."
The event, The Opioid Crisis in N.C. and Wayne County: What we can do about it, will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Herman Park Center, at 901 E. Ash St. There is not cost to attend the event, which is open to the public.
"The Wayne County League of Women Voters is very excited to have Jim Foster, M.D., present information on this critical topic," said Janet Hoy, co-president of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina.
"Bringing awareness about this issue is a statewide initiative of the League of Women Voters of North Carolina, and Dr. Foster has spoken to several groups about the devastating effects of opioid misuse and what we can do to begin to solve the problem."
Foster plans to offer information regarding the number of opioid-related deaths in the state and county, as well as the economic impact and toll the problem has caused in communities across the state.
He will also present solutions, which include the need for more health care providers, health care coverage for the uninsured, more inpatient beds at treatment facilities and long-term support programs.
Foster estimates that nearly half of people suffering from opioid addiction do not have health insurance, another problem he said needs to be addressed.
"Only eight to 10 percent of people are being treated," he said.
Foster is a retired cardiologist and University of North Carolina School of Medicine professor. The Health Care Action Team is focusing its efforts and research on the opioid crisis in North Carolina.
"We've had a pretty high increase in the number of deaths," said Pat Adams, League of Women Voters member from the twin counties of Nash and Edgecombe.
"That's why we're looking at Wayne, Wilson and Pitt and several other counties. He's going to be talking about how we can manage this crisis."