Summerville council hears opioid task force update showing fewer suspected overdoses year to date

Councilmember Johnson Wilson updated the Town of Summerville Town Council on local opioid task force activity and data, telling the council that suspected overdoses have fallen so far this year compared with the same period in 2024.

Johnson Wilson said that from Jan. 1 to April 10, 2024, the task force recorded 151 suspected overdoses with 24 fatalities; in the same period in 2025, the task force recorded 68 suspected overdoses with six fatalities. "So, it's a significant drop," Johnson Wilson said.

The council heard that the local effort was formed under the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Act framework and is funded in part by opioid settlement dollars. Johnson Wilson said the town uses ODMAP to track suspected overdoses and that recent local seizures reported by the Metro Narcotics Task Force in 2024 included 339 pounds of marijuana, about 7.5 kilograms of cocaine, 3.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and 4.7 kilograms of fentanyl.

Johnson Wilson described a three-part overdose response built around a new critical-incident management system called SIMS. According to Johnson Wilson, Somerville Police began entering SIMS data in February and Dorchester County began entering data the month of the meeting. The response plan includes: (1) on-scene and hospital response with first responders or hospitals leaving a resource bag that contains educational materials and harm-reduction tools; (2) rapid outreach in which a trained peer support coordinator or vetted volunteer contacts the person and family within an hour of an overdose; and (3) continued care by a proposed community paramedic who would perform follow-up visits and link people to services.

Johnson Wilson also noted that an officer funded through opioid-settlement resources—identified in the meeting as Officer Flynn—has begun entering SIMS data and performing follow-up contacts. The council was told that Dorchester County Alcohol and Drug Commission is also participating in follow-up on SIMS entries and that local detention centers have started implementing improved detox protocols, mental-health services and substance-use evaluations to ensure people leaving custody have community supports.

Mayor Russ Touchberry thanked Johnson Wilson for the report and for representing the town on the task force.

The update was provided as a report item; no formal council action was recorded on the opioid update at the meeting.