Charleston County is getting a $900,000 grant from a national opioid settlement to deal with a rising number of overdose fentanyl deaths as described in a detailed news story in today’s new issue of the Charleston City Paper.
Data released in February from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control showed more than a 25% increase in statewide overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021. The county’s death rate is the third largest in the state, behind Greenville and Horry counties.
The grant to the county will be used to expand treatment and prevention programs in the area. The money comes from a larger, $26 billion national settlement that will see more than $360 million head to the Palmetto State.
“Over the last few years, Charleston County has seen a significant increase in accidental overdose deaths,” Charleston County Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services director Dr. Chanda Funcell told WCSC. “This settlement funding will help Charleston County better fight this crisis and bring more awareness about key programs and resources designed to help individuals and families battling addiction.”
CP OPINION: Charleston’s new Union Pier plan is lipstick on a pig
“The plan for Union Pier is still too big. Other than some more green space, it calls for the same 600 hotel rooms (like we need that), the same number of multi-family dwelling units (1,600) and the same undernourished number of affordable housing units (50). Maybe all they did in the nice-looking drawings (we still don’t have lots of details) to accommodate more green space was to add a floor to the two dozen chunks of cookie-cutter apartments, condos and retail space. “
In other headlines:
CP: City Paper‘s guide to hemp. The reality of the cannabis-using demographic has changed dramatically, thanks to the legal use of hemp in South Carolina. Hemp, from which CBD and other cannabinoids are derived, is legal and contains many cannabinoids (compounds) aside from THC, including CBD, a non-psychoactive compound, which is known to reduce inflammation, induce relaxation, calm seizures and more.
CP: Life-saving water skills taught in Charleston backyard. An above-ground 18-foot swim spa in a heated white tent is the centerpiece of a home-based Gullah Swim Academy that Nicole Ashby and her family started in 2021. The program teaches people water safety, especially for people from underserved communities who usually don’t have access to a pool.
Nearly 2K fake IDs confiscated in Charleston pilot program. Since December, the ID Scanner Pilot Program has been in place in downtown Charleston and has caught nearly 2,000 fake IDs being used for underage drinkers trying to get into bars.
Williams joins race for North Charleston mayoral candidate. Community advocate Jesse Williams has added his name to the growing list of people wanting to become North Charleston’s next mayor. Williams founded the nonprofit Take It To The Streets and is currently a board member on the Charleston County Board of Zoning Appeals.
MUSC cited, penalized after facility member gets electrocuted. The Medical University of South Carolina was fined a total of $3,000 and was issued three violations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an employee died from electrocution.
We Are Family’s thrift store creates a LGBTQ+ community in Charleston. We Are Family is the second-oldest LGBTQ+ charity and support organization in South Carolina and its thrift store, Closet Case, in North Charleston’s Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood, has garnered a loving community to support LGBTQ+ youth and community in the area.
Charleston Greek Festival returns for 52nd year. The Charleston Greek Festival is set to celebrate its 52nd year May 12 to May 14 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in downtown Charleston.
Charleston nonprofit hosts garage sale to benefit disabled Lowcountry residents. The Parents and Guardians Association of the Coastal Center will hold an event at the Coastal Center Gym April 15. Proceeds from the event will go directly to the Coastal Center Gym, whose residents incur daily struggles related to their physical and mental disabilities.
To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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