In North Carolina from 2019-2020, Black and Native American populations saw significant & disproportionate increases in rates of drug overdose deaths. The inequitable access to MOUD exemplifies the health disparities that have impacted marginalized communities for generations. NCSTAR is committed to addressing these disparities by engaging in discussions with community partners about improving equitable access to MOUD in North Carolina. 

Data below is from NC Department of Public Health.  https://injuryfreenc.dph.ncdhhs.gov/DataSurveillance/overdose.htm

The number of people who have died from overdose has also worsened in some historically marginalized communities. The overall number of overdose deaths is still highest among non-Hispanic white people; however, when measured as a portion of population, American Indian/Indigenous people have the highest overdose death rate. The percentage by which overdose death rates increased from 2019 rates to 2021 rates was highest among Black/African American people with a 139% increase in their overdose death rate (16.1 to 38.5 per 100,000) American Indian/Indigenous communities had the highest overdose death rate in 2021, a 117% increase from 2019 to 2021 (43.3 to 94.1 per 100,000). White NH saw a 53% increase in overdose death rates from 2019 to 2021 (27.4 to 42.0 per 100,000).