OACC's Events

North Carolina Central University and the North Carolina Community Health Center Association hosted an inaugural conference on medication-assisted treatment in May 2023. The annual gathering for community health leaders, local, regional, and state officials and researchers explores expanding treatment access to address opioid use.

2023 Conference Recap: Medication-Assisted Treatment Conference Convened in Durham Draws Statewide Leaders and Healthcare Professions Exploring Opioid Misuse Solutions

NCCU and North Carolina Community Health Center Association Host Gathering

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) and the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) partnered to host an inaugural state conference on opioid abatement research. The symposium, held on May 11, 2023, centered around medication-assisted treatment for opioid misuse, or MAT. Nearly 200 senior leaders and staff from federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, free and charitable clinics, other North Carolina safety-net partners and Triangle area-based academic institutions convened to develop solutions to increase access to MAT for individuals with opioid use disorder. State officials, community healthcare practitioners and researchers led and participated in panel discussions and interactive workshops, including a seminar on saving lives impacted by opioid use disorder.

“NCCU and NCCHCA’s inaugural Medication-Assisted Treatment Conference launched an important partnership between two entities that engaged stakeholders from both organizations alongside other leaders committed to developing solutions in response to the growing opioid epidemic in communities throughout North Carolina. These discussions and actionable solutions will assist in advancing healthcare equity for all,” said Dr. Deepak Kumar, interim associate provost, dean of Sponsored Programs and Research, and director of the Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute at NCCU.

NCCU established the Opioid Abatement Coordinating Center (OACC) with funding from the NC Collaboratory and resources provided by the North Carolina General Assembly. The university works with four University of North Carolina System institutions on pilot projects focusing on a coordinating center, communications and community engagement and opioid use.

Keynote speakers, including N.C. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kody Kinsley; Dr. Jeff Warren, executive director of the NC Collaboratory; and Nidhi Sachdeva of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, gave insight on state and federal grant funding distribution of opioid settlements, as well as Medicaid expansion and its impact on treatment.

Epidemiologist Catherine Sanford of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health and co-founder of Project Lazarus, a non-profit that addresses prescription medication issues based in Wilkes County, N.C., demonstrated the proper use of naloxone, both intranasally and intramuscularly. Dr. Samuel K. Parish, a physician specializing in addiction medicine and family medicine in Naples, Fla., highlighted the expansion of access to treatment of opioid disorder in his keynote presentation, “How to Save a Life,”

“The conference was a success in engaging in meaningful dialogues with a goal of disrupting the opioid crisis in North Carolina; we already are coordinating next year’s exciting event on post-overdose response,” stated OACC project coordinator Mica McReady-Gonzalez.

The OACC will continuously maintain engagement with event attendees to further expand its growth and connection with the community. For more information on OACC events, please contact [email protected].

Information on the community advisory board will be announced soon.

Information on the newsletter will be announced soon.

Partners of the OACC include the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA) (https://www.ncchca.org/).