County Details Use of Opioid Recovery Fund
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County has begun to detail the impact of its share of the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund (SCORF), with a report indicating significant strides in addressing the opioid crisis since projects commenced in January 2024. The county has committed approximately $2.5 million of its total $13.3 million SCORF allotment, focusing on a multi-pronged approach that includes direct treatment, recovery support, and innovative prevention initiatives. Disbursements of these funds are scheduled to continue through 2038.
“Anderson county council has taken responsibly for using the opioid settlement money wisely,” said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns. “We are pleased to be able to help these groups that are working to address prevention, treatment and recovery.”
The county's initial efforts have been structured around several core objectives, aiming to:
• Support individuals in treatment and recovery, providing access to counseling, peer support, case management, and residential treatment, including medication for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and co-occurring mental health conditions.
• Offer comprehensive wrap-around services such as housing, transportation, job placement, and childcare for those in recovery.
• Expand "Warm Handoff Programs" and recovery services by hiring additional behavioral health workers.
• Implement evidence-based treatment within and transitioning out of the criminal justice system.
• Conduct media campaigns and evidence-based prevention programs in schools to prevent opioid misuse.
Tangible Outcomes from Initial Programs
One year into these initiatives, the SCORF-funded programs have yielded measurable outcomes:
• Detention Center Treatment Program: This initiative has provided 2,659 service activities within the justice system, including detoxification, mental health care referrals, substance use disorder (SUD) screening and counseling, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and communicable disease screening.
• Residential Treatment Scholarship Programs: More than 30 women and 10 men have either completed or are currently enrolled in multi-week residential treatment programs at facilities such as Shalom House, Love Well, and The Bridge Center.
• Prevention Programs: The Coroner's Office has reached 6,000 individuals aged 18 and younger and 2,300 adults through prevention and education programs. Simultaneously, PlaySafe has engaged over 800 high school students and 150 parents or guardians in similar educational efforts.
• FAVOR/AnMed Recovery Services Partnership: This collaboration has provided services to 132 adults within the healthcare system, covering detoxification, mental health care referrals, therapeutic counseling, medication for OUD (MOUD), professional mental health care, and peer support.
• FAVOR Community Services: Sixty adults have received direct community support, including assistance with housing and employment, as well as overdose response and intervention programming.
New Initiatives Target Vulnerable Populations
A significant new endeavor, the Managing Abstinence in Newborns (MAiN) initiative, began in 2024 with SCORF discretionary funds through a partnership involving Clemson University, AnMed, and Prisma Health. This program specifically targets pregnant and postpartum individuals and their newborns affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
In its inaugural year, the MAiN initiative focused on foundational work, including a county-wide needs assessment, the hiring of a specialized Nurse Navigator at AnMed for individualized maternal support, and targeted education for local OB/GYNs and pediatricians. Care coordination and follow-up services for mothers with OUD through AnMed were also initiated.
Building on these early successes, Anderson County is continuing its SCORF support for the MAiN partnership in its second year. This expansion has already facilitated increased prenatal care access, robust resource navigation (including assistance with food and transportation), enrollment in support programs like WIC and SNAP, collaborative recovery planning with Serenity Place, and engagement with peer recovery services through FAVOR. Postpartum participants are also attending parenting classes at the Anderson Pregnancy Care Center.
In its first three months, the expanded MAiN program has established a new partnership with Anderson-Oconee Behavioral Health, enabling onsite client interviews and connections to the MAiN program. The AnMed Nurse Navigator is actively supporting clients, with five mothers having delivered and receiving postnatal care, four patients currently pregnant and engaged in the program, and four recent referrals in the enrollment process.
Additionally, the County has formalized a partnership with Crossway Counseling Services to extend recovery services to low-to-moderate income individuals grappling with OUD.
As of July 15, 2025, Anderson County has committed approximately 19 percent of its total SCORF allocation, demonstrating a structured yet evolving response to the complex challenges posed by opioid use disorder within the community. Council approved the acceptance of an additional $2.9 million in opioid settlement funds at the last meeting.
