Spartanburg County Proposes $2M Investment for Opioid-Addicted Inmates

Stepping Up Against the Opioid Crisis

In a bid to address the intensifying opioid crisis, Spartanburg County officials have unanimously asked for roughly $2 million to help treat inmates at the county’s detention center who struggle with opioid addiction. If the request is approved, the county expects to receive the funds by October 1, 2024.

The financial request traces back to a lawsuit in 2019, when South Carolina’s Attorney General sued the nation’s prominent drug distribution companies, blaming them for fueling the opioid epidemic. Following the lawsuit, the state procured over $300 million in 2022 as a segment of a $26 billion nationwide settlement with some of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.

Planning to Make a Difference

For South Carolina, the plan was to distribute this financial aid amongst the state’s agencies, cities, and counties to combat the severe problem of opioid abuse. Following the footsteps of Greenville County, which established an opioid resource team using the settlement funds in 2023, Spartanburg County now aspires to receive its share.

“Here’s an opportunity for us to put a process and a program in place that will make a difference for Spartanburg County,” said Councilman David Britt, expressing the belief that the entire county has been touched by the opioid epidemic in some way. The county endured 154 opioid-related deaths in 2022, marking an alarming 440 percent increase since 2015.

Targeting Treatment for Inmates

Using the millions from the legal settlement, Spartanburg County aims to initiate a program at its detention center to treat inmates affected by addiction. Approximately 650 inmates have reportedly been identified with opioid use disorder.

Dr. Melissa Fritsche, a medical professional specializing in addiction treatment, believes the proposed inmate treatment program would be the most effective use of the funds. “Currently, we’re not providing that kind of treatment, and then we’re talking about releasing these folks back to the community,” Fritsche remarked.

Tackling the Root of the Problem

The settlement funds would be utilized to hire a nurse practitioner for the detention center, acquire drugs to counteract the opioid effects, conduct public education programs, among other things. The allocation could sustain the program for over a decade.

Councilman Monier Abusaft underscored the significance of the program as a tool for aiding the Spartanburg community. He described a vicious cycle where impoverished individuals fall into addiction and subsequently resort to crime to sustain their addiction.

Nurturing Hope for a Drug-Free Future

Fritsche concluded by expressing her hope that in the future, there would be less need for addiction treatments. “There is nothing that I would like more than five years from now to not be treating addiction,” said Fritsche.