State and national efforts in response to a growing opioid epidemic may be paying off in North Carolina.
According to preliminary data released by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, opioid-related deaths fell 5 percent in 2018, the first decline in five years and a big victory for state health providers and policy makers.
From 2016 to 2017, opioid-related deaths rose 34 percent.
But the epidemic is far from over, with an estimated 1,785 North Carolina residents dying…
