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Resident calls for overdose data-sharing system as county touts early composting success
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Summary
During public comment Krista Flanders urged Beaufort County to adopt a multiagency overdose-management system used in Charleston County; county staff reported the composting program enrolled 500 residents and diverted over 4,000 pounds of food waste in just over two months.
A Beaufort County resident urged the council to adopt a data-driven approach to overdose response and recovery, while county staff used the meeting to highlight fast uptake of a new composting program.
Krista Flanders, a county resident and recovery advocate, told council that overdoses are the leading cause of death for people 18 to 45 in her experience and recommended Beaufort County explore Charleston County’s critical incident management system (CIMS). "It collects, shares, analyzes overdose data … and helps identify hot spots," Flanders said, and she offered to connect county staff with Charleston officials to discuss implementation.
A council member responded that Beaufort County expects a new tranche of opioid-settlement funds and said the county will seek to use such funds for related programs; staff and council encouraged follow-up with county departments.
Earlier in the meeting, Administrator Jared reported that more than 500 residents joined the county’s new composting program in just over two months, diverting more than 4,000 pounds of food waste and about 3,000 pounds of yard debris. Jared also recognized two long-serving employees: Bernard Wallace and Rodney Scott, each with 15 years of county service.
What happens next: staff said they would follow up on connections to Charleston County, and council welcomed further proposals tying opioid-settlement funds to prevention and outreach work.
