North Carolina Funding Priorities

Key points

The CDC Injury Center prioritizes funding for the prevention of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), overdose, and suicide. This page shows how funds were appropriated in the state of North Carolina in FY23.

State of North Carolina

ACEs prevention funding - North Carolina

ACEs are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). Examples include neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, or having a family member attempt or die by suicide.

  • 60.2% of adults reported at least one ACE in North Carolina in 20201A
  • 15.2% of adults reported experiencing four or more ACEs in North Carolina in 20201A

Total ACE prevention funding for North Carolina‎

CDC appropriated $400,000 for ACE prevention activities in the state of North Carolina in FY23.

ACE prevention programs

Overdose prevention funding - North Carolina

There were 107,968 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2022 (34.6 deaths per 100,000 standard population), a 1.2% increase from 2021.2

  • There were 4,310 overdose deaths in North Carolina in 20223
  • There were 41.8 overdose deaths per 100,000 people (age-adjusted) in North Carolina in 20223

Total overdose prevention funding in North Carolina‎

CDC appropriated $7,056,689 for overdose prevention activities in the state of North Carolina in FY23.

Overdose prevention products

  • Public Health and Public Safety
    • Overdose Response Strategy: $87,600*
  • Research
    • Research Triangle Institute: $831,130
    • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: $349,978

*average award amount

Examples of how North Carolina is working to prevent overdose

Overdose prevention training toolkit for jails

The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition implemented an Overdose Response Strategy Pilot Project focused on jail-based overdose prevention education. The pilot developed a standardized overdose prevention education training toolkit that highlights best practices and recommendations for working in jails, provides an overview on overdose prevention, and describes local community services and resources for individuals upon release. Jail administrators were engaged throughout the development of the toolkit to incorporate their insight into procedures, barriers, and delivery.

Rapid data collection tool

North Carolina established the Rapid Overdose Death Detection program with the goal of identifying suspected opioid overdose deaths within 30 days of an overdose. The program's data is validated against confirmed State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System cases and provides timely and actionable surveillance updates, trends, and insights.

Program to support justice-involved individuals who use drugs

North Carolina created a new program to support justice-involved individuals with substance use disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Opioids & COVID program funded 18 entities to implement pre-arrest or pre-trial diversion programs and re-entry or linkage to care programs. The program involved partnerships among local government entities, substance use disorder treatment providers, hospitals, health centers, clinics, pharmacies, and non-profit organizations.

Suicide prevention funding - North Carolina

  • There were 1,614 suicide deaths in North Carolina in 2022
  • There were 14.4 suicide deaths per 100,000 people (age-adjusted) in North Carolina in 2022

Total suicide prevention funding in North Carolina‎

CDC appropriated $1,003,000 for suicide prevention activities in the state of North Caroline in FY23.

Suicide prevention programs

North Carolina's suicide prevention priorities

North Carolina is preventing suicide with CDC Injury Center funding by:B

  • Strengthening access and delivery of suicide care
  • Creating protective environments
  • Identifying and supporting people at risk

Some groups have higher rates of suicide than others. To address disparities, North Carolina is focusing on:

  • Males
  • People living in rural counties
  • Veterans
  • Youth and young adults ages 10-18 years

Examples of how North Carolina is working to prevent suicide

Suicide Prevention Academy

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services created and is running a Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Academy to train community providers to identify individuals at risk, prevent suicide, and build prevention capacity with partners to save lives.

Virtual identification of risk

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services plans to promote use of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention guide to screen for risk of suicide during telemental health visits. Using the guide consistently could help with early identification of those at risk for suicide, thus making telehealth an even more effective tool in suicide prevention.

  1. ACE statistics are reported by U.S. adults and include exposure to eight types of ACEs: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing intimate partner violence, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, and incarcerated household member.
  2. This snapshot reflects suicide prevention priorities and activities under Year 1 funding of the Comprehensive Suicide Prevention (CSP) Program. This information is subject to change. For additional information, please see CSP: Program Profiles.
  1. Swedo EA, Aslam MV, Dahlberg LL, Niolon PH, Simon TR, Guinn AS, Mercy JA. Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among U.S. Adults – Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 2011-2020. MMWR.
  2. Spencer MR, Miniño AM, Warner M. Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 2001–2021. NCHS Data Brief, no 457. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:122556
  3. NVSS – Drug Overdose Deaths