Aiken Center asks North Augusta to fund a recovery coach with opioid settlement funds

Margaret Key, executive with the Aiken Center, asked the North Augusta City Council on Aug. 11 to support a modest, targeted use of opioid‑settlement funds to place a certified peer support specialist dedicated to North Augusta families.

"Our proposal this evening for you to consider is a package, a program that would be about 77,000, a very modest amount," Key said. She described the recovery coach as a certified peer support specialist who would spend time in the Department of Social Services office and in the local mental‑health office, providing outreach, engagement and connections to treatment options.

Key said the funding would come from settlement and SCORE distributions — "not taxpayer dollars" — and that the city already has sums reserved for opioid‑abatement work. "You've got about 4 over 400,000 sitting there now," she told council, adding that the exact allocation from the national Purdue Pharma/Sackler settlements is still pending. She said Aiken Center and county partners can help draft the application and that the Columbia deadline for submission is Oct. 17.

Key outlined operational partnerships: space and client referrals from the Department of Social Services and the Hartzog Center (mental health), coordination with the city’s SCORE‑funded outreach/CAT team in Public Safety, and the potential for a satellite office if a suitable site is found. She introduced Rebecca Summer, who will help lead county opioid‑abatement planning and grant writing under contract with Aiken County.

Council members asked how the recovery coach would engage people who do not self‑identify as needing help; Key said the coach would provide outreach in neighborhoods and meet clients where they are, using telehealth and transportation support as needed. Key and members emphasized the recovery coach’s role as part of a larger care team, including medication‑assisted treatment and inpatient referrals when appropriate.

Mayor and several councilmembers expressed support for the concept and Clifford said administration and Public Safety would work with Aiken Center on a formal resolution and application. "I would be shocked if you don't see pretty much those strong support recommendations from us," the mayor said.

What happens next: administration and Aiken Center staff will coordinate the application, and council could see a resolution or formal funding request in the coming weeks ahead of the Oct. 17 submission deadline.