News Flash

Dear Rowan Community Leaders, Stakeholders and Treatment Facilities

In January of this year, the Rowan County Health Department (RCHD) in collaboration with Rowan County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and The Center for Prevention Services was awarded a grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for the implementation of a Post Overdose Response Team (PORT).  The PORT team will intervene directly in communities affected by opioid/ heroin overdoses to provide outreach and support. The team will assist both active users, and those further along in the recovery process, by providing peer counseling, group therapy and other support. The grant award totaling  $285,326 is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina way of addressing “Substance Use Disorder and the Opioid Epidemic in North Carolina”. This award is for a two-year period beginning in 2019 and ending in 2020. 

The Rowan County Health Department (RCHD), Rowan County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and The Center for Prevention Services would like to invite you to attend our PORT Program Launch and Press Conference on Thursday August 29^th from 10:00am – 11:00am in the Community Room located at the Rowan County Health Department. Presentations on harm reduction, PORT Programs, and Community Paramedics and will be given. Refreshments will be provided. Please see the attachment for more details. 

We look forward to seeing you on August 29^th. If interested in attending, please contact Beth Perez to RSVP. 

Thank you!