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Horry County details opioid‑response programs, $2.9M disbursed from local opioid fund
Summary
County health officials told the council about opioid settlement funding and local programs — harm‑reduction specialists embedded with fire rescue, crisis intervention teams, jail treatment expansions and a public‑safety employee assistance program — noting about $2.9 million has been disbursed to date and roughly $22 million may flow through 2038.
Ms. Cantor presented the county’s opioid‑response strategy and how settlement dollars and external grants are being used for prevention, treatment and care coordination across jurisdictions.
"Horry County was ranked number 1 on the most vulnerable county list for overdose rates," Ms. Cantor said, citing a vulnerability study as context for the county’s investments. She described a set of county programs funded by settlements and grants, including four harm‑reduction specialists in Horry County Fire Rescue carrying out post‑overdose follow‑up (more than 2,000 individuals served since November 2023), a crisis‑intervention team that supports patrol officers, and expansion of jail‑based treatment court and reentry programming for women at the J. Reuben Long facility.
Cantor noted the opioid fund board has disbursed $2,900,000 so far and that $3,100,000 in external grants has followed because of program success; she also described a suite of wraparound services (case managers, outreach coordinators) to address housing, transportation and other barriers to treatment. Staff requested set‑asides for shelter capacity and other housing needs and said the county is compiling longitudinal data to evaluate program outcomes over time.
