HCSO, non-profit team-up to combat opioid overdoses for high-risk community

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - The Horry County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with Access FAVOR to combat an epidemic: opioid overdoses.

More specifically, combating overdoses in formerly incarcerated individuals. Access FAVOR specializes in addiction support and resources. Their services are completely confidential and free of charge.

CEO Dr. Renee Causey said this is not an issue that just a few individuals can solve; it takes all of us.

“This is really an all-hands-on-deck issue,” Causey said.

She added that everyone knows someone who’s been impacted by drug addiction or dependency.

According to Dr. Causey and officials at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, formerly incarcerated people are one of the most at-risk populations for opioid overdoses. Dr. Causey said there are various reasons for this. One of them, she said, has to do with one’s tolerance for a certain drug.

“When you stay off this drug for a period of time, you may believe you can handle the same amount. You can’t handle the same amount,” Causey said. “So, you may run out there and think, ‘I can do exactly what I was doing,’ and many times that takes people’s lives.”

She also said the shame of being formerly incarcerated sees many people turn to drugs to cope once they’ve been released.

To combat this epidemic, Access FAVOR provided J. Reuben Long Detention Center with hundreds of units of Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication.

Inmates were invited to sign up for voluntary Narcan training. There, they’d learn when to administer Narcan and how to do so effectively.

Dustin Walters is the treatment director at J. Reuben Long Detention Center. He said he knew the voluntary training would garner some interest, but he couldn’t have predicted the sheer number of inmates that would be interested.

When all was said and done, 250 inmates signed up and completed the Narcan training.

“250 inmates signing up for this just shows that this is really important,” Walters said. “People have people that they love and they care about that have been affected by this.”

Additionally, inmates will now be sent home with Narcan. A box containing two four-milligram doses of Narcan will be placed in their property bag, which they receive upon release.

Walters said carrying Narcan is less about the person carrying it, and more so what that person can do for others.

“You can’t use Narcan on yourself if you need it,” Walters said. “The idea is if we can get it into the hands of as many people as possible, then maybe we can help lead people into recovery by keeping them alive longer.”

But Narcan isn’t a treatment for drug addiction; it’s merely a tool to keep someone alive after an overdose. Dr. Causey said Narcan is not the cure for drug addiction, and those who receive a dose are often upset when they wake up.

However, she said it’s important to remember that addiction is, in fact, an illness, and therefore, needs to be treated like one.

“This is a disease. I’m a doctor. I’ve been taught how we treat diseases, and we should treat all diseases the same way,” Causey said. “We have to have medication for diseases, we have to eradicate diseases. This is a part of us being able to save people.”

That, according to Walters, is the goal of this partnership.

“By getting this out there, we’re creating a lot of opportunities for people to more specifically reach and help find their path to recovery,” Walters said.

You don’t need to be in jail to access Narcan and other addiction resources, though. Dr. Causey and her team at Access FAVOR are ready to assist anyone and everyone, should they seek that help.

“No matter who you are out there, if you know somebody, if you don’t know somebody, we want to hand you Narcan,” she said. “We would love for you to come to our office. Everything we do is free. We don’t charge anybody anything, everything is confidential, no questions asked.”

Access FAVOR is located at 1008 Third Ave, Suite C in Conway. You can find their Facebook page here.

“By getting this out there, we’re creating a lot of opportunities for people to more specifically reach and help find their path to recovery,” Walters said.

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