BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Recent data from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows drug overdose deaths in South Carolina continuing at an alarming rate.
To tackle the problem closer to home, the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office launched Berkeley County Overdose Fatality Review Board this month. On Thursday, the board held its inaugural meeting at Cypress Gardens.
“The purpose of the Overdose Fatality Review is to come together with other agencies and do an in-depth study of an overdose victim to see if we can locate areas where the victim may have benefited if treatment were offered,” Coroner Darnell Hartwell said in a news release.
| 2021 Drug Overdose Deaths by Selected Drugs in Berkeley County (Source: SCDHEC) | |
| Fentanyl | 60 |
| Heroin | 3 |
| Methadone | 0 |
| Cocaine | 16 |
From 2020 to 2021, the total number of drug overdose deaths in South Carolina increased by more than 430 individuals, from 1,734 deaths to 2,168: an increase of more than 25%, according to SCDHEC. By comparison, there were only 573 drug overdose deaths in the state in 2012. Opioids continue to be the primary cause of overdose deaths in recent years, contributing to 1,733 of the 2,168 fatal overdoses in 2021.
Nationally, including South Carolina, the synthetic opioid fentanyl is largely responsible for the increase in overdose deaths. From 2020 to 2021, drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl increased more than 35% in South Carolina, from 1,100 to 1,494 deaths. Fentanyl was involved in more than two-thirds of all opioid-involved overdose deaths in the state in 2021.
“Other drugs are being laced with fentanyl – without the user’s knowledge – which can cause a fatal overdose even in a small quantity,” said Sara Goldsby, Director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), in a news release. “If there is a possibility of coming into contact with an unsafe drug, it’s important to have naloxone on hand in case of an overdose.”
According to Hartwell, he hopes to work with local law enforcement, hospitals, South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, EMS, Berkeley County Mental Health, the Ernest E. Kennedy Center, Berkeley County School District, along with other agencies to come up with effective strategies to help prevent future overdoses.
“We are looking to identify and document patterns and trends that may suggest inadequacies in our service system, or gaps in our services. By identifying recommendations to address these issues, we anticipate decreases in future overdose deaths,” Hartwell said.
The Berkeley County Overdose Fatality Review Board intends to meet regularly.
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