§ 90-113.75E.  Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee; statewide strategic plan.

(a) There is hereby created the Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee, to be housed in and staffed by the Department. The Committee shall develop and, through its members, implement a statewide strategic plan to combat the problem of opioid and prescription drug abuse. The Committee shall include representatives from the following, as well as any other persons designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services:

(1) The Department's Division of Health Benefits.

(2) The Department's Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services.

(3) The Department's Division of Public Health.

(4) The Office of Rural Health. Department's

(5) The Division of Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public Safety.

(5a) The Division of Community Supervision and Reentry of the Department of Adult Correction.

(5b) The Division of Prisons of the Department of Adult Correction.

(6) The State Bureau of Investigation.

(7) The Attorney General's Office.

(8) The following health care regulatory boards with oversight of prescribers and dispensers of opioids and other prescription drugs:

a. North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners.

b. North Carolina Board of Nursing.

c. North Carolina Board of Podiatry Examiners.

d. North Carolina Medical Board.

e. North Carolina Board of Pharmacy.

f. North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board

(9) The UNC Injury Prevention Research Center.

(10) The substance abuse treatment community.

(11) Governor's Institute on Substance Abuse, Inc.

(12) The Department of Insurance's drug take-back program.

After developing the strategic plan, the Committee shall be the State's steering committee to monitor achievement of strategic objectives and receive regular reports on progress made toward reducing opioid and prescription drug abuse in North Carolina.

(b) In developing the statewide strategic plan to combat the problem of opioid and prescription drug abuse, the Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee shall, at a minimum, complete the following steps:

(1) Identify a mission and vision for North Carolina's system to reduce and prevent opioid and prescription drug abuse.

(2) Scan the internal and external environment for the system's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges (a SWOC analysis).

(3) Compare threats and opportunities to the system's ability to meet challenges and seize opportunities (a GAP analysis).

(4) Identify strategic issues based on SWOC and GAP analyses.

(5) Formulate strategies and resources for addressing these issues.

(c) The strategic plan for reducing opioid and prescription drug abuse shall include three to five strategic goals that are outcome-oriented and measureable. Each goal must be connected with objectives supported by the following five mechanisms of the system:

(1) Oversight and regulation of prescribers and dispensers by State health care regulatory boards.

(2) Operation of the Controlled Substances Reporting System.

(3) Operation of the Medicaid lock-in program to review behavior of patients with high use of prescribed controlled substances.

(4) Enforcement of State laws for the misuse and diversion of controlled substances.

(5) Any other appropriate mechanism identified by the Committee.

(d) The Department, in consultation with the Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee, shall develop and implement a formalized performance management system that connects the goals and objectives identified in the statewide strategic plan to operations of the Controlled Substances Reporting System and Medicaid lock-in program, law enforcement activities, and oversight of prescribers and dispensers. The performance management system must be designed to monitor progress toward achieving goals and objectives and must recommend actions to be taken when performance falls short.

(e) Beginning on December 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, the Department shall submit an annual report on the performance of North Carolina's system for monitoring opioid and prescription drug abuse to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety, and the Fiscal Research Division. (2015-241, s. 12F.16(m)-(q); 2015-268, s. 4.5; 2017-57, s. 11F.10; 2018-76, s. 9; 2019-81, s. 15(a); 2021-180, s. 19C.9(iii); 2023-65, s. 5.2(b).)