Recovery Activities

Each September, The Pitt County Coalition on Substance Use (PCCSU) joins the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to celebrate National Recovery Month. For the past decade, the PCCSU has celebrated those in recovery from substance use and other mental health disorders by raising awareness and celebrating those who have made recovery possible in our community. This event spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.

CARA Grant Activities

PCCSU aims to enhance its current efforts, as a DFC-funded coalition, to reduce youth opioid and prescription drug misuse by changing the culture and context regarding acceptability of these substance use behaviors. To achieve these goals, we seek to (1) prevent initiation of prescription opioid misuse and escalation to later heroin use among youth ages 12 to 18 in Pitt County, (2) decrease perceived parental approval of prescription opioid misuse by 12 to 18 year-olds in Pitt County, and (3) increase youth’s perception of harm of misusing prescription opioids. To accomplish these objectives, we will follow the Strategic Prevention Framework as we partner with local pharmacies to implement on-site medication disposal programs and the Lock Your Meds™ campaign and conduct activities spanning the Seven Strategies for Effective Community Change.

COVID-19 Grant

In 2021, PCCSU was awarded funding as a part of SAMHSA’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement Appropriations Act. This grant supplements the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG). The purpose of this funding is to address and reverse some of the physical and mental damages that have been done due to the pandemic. During the pandemic, Pitt County saw an increase in alcohol sales and opioid overdose deaths, and a decline in mental health. Due to the statewide restrictions and stay-at-home orders causing children to learn remotely, as well as the increase of off-premises alcohol sales (where alcohol is purchased and consumed in private homes), access to alcohol within homes has become increasingly important to address. In addition to alcohol access, many children and adults have experienced poor mental health caused by the extreme stress of COVID-19. This grant allows PCCSU to focus primarily on reversing the negative effects that COVID-19 has had on the citizens of Pitt County and surrounding areas.
The long-term goals of this grant include:

1. 1. 1. 1. Prevent substance misuse in children who have parents with a SUD
         2. Increase in moderate drinking among adults
         3. Decrease in substance use among youth

To address the underlying issues associated with substance use and to reach these long-term goals, we chose to implement the following:

1. 1. 1. 1. Wrap around services for the ECU Family Therapy Clinic
         2. Moderate drinking campaign
         3. Youth access campaign