In such a large, urban community, the team faced challenges gaining attention as a top priority. Participation with the Opioid Response Project helped them better define their task force and the issue they were working to address. That focus helped them get more attention at the county level. The team was also quite large and composed of busy community leaders, so they benefited from the structure the Opioid Response Project provided. “We needed a system for holding us accountable for follow-through,” said Beaton.

Local government leaders are on the front line, helping their communities navigate a health and
economic crisis whose duration is uncertain. The ncIMPACT Initiative’s COVID-19 survey sought to track
how these elected and appointed leaders viewed their early COVID-19 world—and the actions they
were taking to respond.