Roper St. Francis Healthcare to host medication take-back and free naloxone distribution – January 24

Roper St. Francis Healthcare will partner with Charleston County’s Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services to host a medication take-back and naloxone distribution event Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Greer Transitions Clinic.

Clinicians will educate and distribute the nasal spray naloxone, commonly known as Narcan. The lifesaving nasal spray can potentially reverse the effects of a lethal overdose from opioid drugs.

Caregivers at Greer Transitions Clinic see the effects of addiction and fatal overdoses in the communities they serve. The staff saw the need for partnering with Charleston County’s Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, known as the Charleston Center, to add opportunities for residents to get free naloxone.

“If it can save a life and eventually allow that person to get treatment, it will be worth it,” said Dr. Samuel Parish, addiction medicine specialist at Greer Transition Clinic.

Prescription drugs can be dangerous and addictive if not properly handled and stored. Charleston County had 215 overdose deaths in 2022 and 228 in 2023 with nine still pending, according to the Charleston County Coroner’s Office. This event is an example of how our community can work together to combat the drug crisis.

Medications that are flushed or sent to landfills can enter our water supply. The medication take-back is also vital to removing excess opioids and other harmful drugs from households where young people can access them.

The past medication take-back events have netted several hundred pounds of drugs safely removed from circulation.

Drug Overdose and naloxone Facts from the CDC

• More than 106,000 people in the U.S. died from drug-involved overdose in 2021, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids.
• Opioids — mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone) — are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Nearly 88 percent of opioid-involved overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids.
• 80 percent of overdose deaths occurred inside a home.
• In nearly 40 percent of overdose deaths, someone was present. Having naloxone available allows bystanders to help fight a potentially fatal overdose and save lives.
• Opioids were involved in 80,411 overdose deaths in 2021 (75.4 percent of all drug overdose deaths).