Buncombe County announced on April 16 that it is requesting proposals from community organizations to staff and operate its Harm Reduction Program, which functions within the Health and Human Services Division of Public Health.
The Harm Reduction Program was established in 2019 to provide free, low-barrier services aimed at reducing harm, such as opioid overdose prevention, safer use supplies, communicable disease screening, wound care, and first aid. The program also aims to create an environment where Peer Support Specialists can build relationships with participants to support their access to health equity resources.
As the program has expanded, it now supports overdose prevention through large-scale distribution of Naloxone and drug testing strips. It also provides regular community education and outreach efforts, conducts overdose reversal trainings for the public, and maintains several syringe disposal kiosks throughout Buncombe County.
In related educational data for Buncombe County school districts during the 2022-23 school year, 28.5% of senior students who took the science portion of the ACT were considered ready for college according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Among junior students taking the same test, 30.1% met college readiness standards according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
For reading scores on the ACT in Buncombe County schools during that period, 41.1% of seniors and 43.2% of juniors were deemed ready for college according to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In math performance on the ACT exam among seniors in these districts, 25.6% demonstrated college readiness while among juniors it was higher at 32.7%, both figures provided by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The county’s ongoing efforts with harm reduction programming are intended not only to address immediate public health concerns but also reflect broader challenges faced by local youth as shown in academic preparedness statistics.
