This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Kathleen Brady about the continuing opioid crisis in S.C. Dr. Brady is a Distinguished University Professor and a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction psychiatry at MUSC.

TRANSCRIPT:

Conner: I’m Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Opioid use disorder and overdose remains serious public health problems in South Carolina. Doctor Kathleen Brady is here to talk about the details. Doctor Brady is a Distinguished University Professor and a board certified psychiatrist specializing in addiction psychiatry at MUSC. Doctor Brady, how widespread is opioid use disorder and also overdose in South Carolina now?

Dr. Brady: It remains a pretty significant problem. In South Carolina. Approximately six people per day died of overdose in 2023. That was an increase in 59% between 2019 and 2020, and another 23% between 2020 and 21. And it’s not just in the street opioids that people are buying, but sometimes cannabinoids, stimulants, all sorts of other drugs that people are buying on the street are laced with fentanyl. And fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine. So, it takes just a very small amount for someone to die from an overdose.

Conner: What’s being done to help prevent opioid use disorder and also overdose in South Carolina?

Dr. Brady: Well, one of the good, bright things on the horizon is that there was a settlement between a number of pharmaceutical companies, as well as distributors of opioids, who had acted somewhat irresponsibly during the early days of the crisis. And that settlement has brought millions of dollars to the field with guardrails. Every state gets a certain amount, and the states were allocated money that was proportional to the opioid related deaths in their state. So, there has been multi-millions coming into South Carolina now. And, money is being used to increase the number of treatment places, to increase the medications that are available for treatment, to give people fentanyl test strips, to give overdose reversal agents. So, all sorts of things are being done. What we have formed with that money too, is something called a center of excellence. MUSC is a part of it. USC, Clemson, as well as DAODAS (Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services), our single state agency. And, we are there to guide communities in using these opioid abatement strategies in the best ways possible through technical assistance and consultation and on-site help with getting the strategies up and running.

Conner: What sort of help is available to individuals in our state who currently have problems with opioid use disorder?

Dr. Brady: Well, every county in the state has a treatment agency, and you can find out the name and number of that on the SAMHSA website (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). That’s samhsa.gov and just look under treatment. But if someone is in crisis situation, and there’s an emergency, another thing that SAMHSA has done is set up a hotline that is a mental health crisis hotline. Just dial 988 and it’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People can call and you will be linked into people in the state of South Carolina who can tell you about local treatment resources and help you with your current emergency situation.

Conner: Doctor Brady, thanks for this update about opioid use disorder and overdose in South Carolina.

Dr. Brady: You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.

Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I’m Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.

Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.