Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 16-22, 2019 UCW 31 Green THE CUMBERLAND.LIB.NC.US Through October 31 Cumberland County Public Library Community Needs Assessment Survey Saturday, October 26 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Headquarters Library 300 Maiden Lane, Fayetteville NC 28301 Free & Open to the Public! Breast Cancer Awareness Fair Prevention, education & information T he Cumberland County Department of Public Health has been awarded a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice totaling approximately $900,000 for a Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program. e Cumberland County Board of Commissioners accepted the grant award Oct. 7 during their regular meeting and approved a budget ordinance to recognize the funding. e award for fiscal year 2020 is $289,131. Interim Health Director Duane Holder told the board the grant allows for the following: • A full-time project coordinator position at the Health Department • Implementation of a Post-Overdose Response Team (PORT) • Enhanced Pre-Arrest Diversion Programming • Community Education Campaign • Establishment of an Overdose Fatality Review Team e N.C. Injury and Violence Prevention Branch of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health has collected opiate poisoning death data since 1999. Data collected for Cumberland County early on reflected an average of eight to 14 deaths annually related to opioids. By 2014, the opiate related deaths spiked to 34 and continued to steadily increase with 79 unintentional opioid overdose deaths in 2017. Cape Fear Valley Medical Center was ranked in the top 5 throughout the state for opioid- related overdose emergency department visits. Cumberland County responded by forming the Cumberland-Fayetteville Opioid Response Team (C-FORT). e team is working to implement initiatives and strategies to reduce these unnecessary deaths. At the direction of the team of community stakeholders, the Health Department applied for a Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program grant offered by the US Department of Justice. C-FORT invites any person or group interested in addressing our community's opioid response to attend the next meeting on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. at the Department of Social Services, 1225 Ramsey Street. Health Department Receives $900,000 Opioid Program Grant C umberland County Animal Control has been awarded a $160,000 grant from the Stanton Foundation for the purchase of a mobile pet adoption van. e customized vehicle will feature built-in kennels and will be used to transport animals to off-site adoption events. Potential adopters will be able to see and interact with animals in the vehicle. e van can hold up to 21 animals. "is will save staff time and effort as far as set-up for adoption events, and it will also be less stressful for the animals," said Animal Control Director Elaine Smith. With the new vehicle, Animal Control will have the ability to participate in more off-site adoption events, including those during the summer. e department generally doesn't schedule events in June, July, August and September because of the heat. e van will also assist during special circumstances, such as disaster evacuations, large animal cruelty cases and in partnering with other agencies in transporting animals to rescues in other areas to free up shelter space. In addition, the van will feature a colorful exterior graphics package that will help promote pet adoption and the county's Animal Shelter. "We want to thank the Stanton Foundation for this grant and look forward to hitting the road for pet adoption events in the community," Smith said. e Stanton Foundation adoption van program is designed to help high volume, open intake shelters across the country increase adoptions and organizational visibility within their communities. rough bringing dogs out into the community, the Foundation hopes to increase ownership and reduce shelter populations of dogs in America. e Foundation provides a one-time capital grant for the van and associated customization costs. To learn more, visit thestantonfoundation.org. For more information about adopting a pet from the shelter, call 910-321-6852. You can see animals available for adoption any time at http://bit.ly/CCAdoptablePets or the Friends of Cumberland County Shelter Animals Facebook page at facebook.com/CCACanimalfriends. Animal Control Awarded Grant for Mobile Pet Adoption Van News for Cumberland County Residents co.cumberland.nc.us Cumberland Matters