S.C. Opioid Emergency Response Team Completes First Update to Comprehensive Report

Columbia, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today released the first Opioid Emergency Response Plan Progress Report. The Progress Report comes as an update to the original Opioid Emergency Response Plan, which was released by the South Carolina Opioid Emergency Response Team (SCOERT) in June of last year. Governor McMaster created the SCOERT by executive order in December of 2017 in order to harness the full force of South Carolina’s emergency management infrastructure to address the opioid epidemic.

“The collaboration that has gone into creating and updating South Carolina’s Opioid Emergency Response Plan is a tremendous example of what Team South Carolina can do when we work together,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “Chief Keel, Director Goldsby, and the 24 organizations that are working together to tackle the opioid epidemic will not stop until we have done all that we can to eradicate this scourge on our families and communities.”

The Progress Report provides updates to the actions taken by supporting agencies and organizations to address the previously established goals related to the SCOERT’s four focus areas: 

• Educate and Communicate; 
• Prevent and Respond; 
• Treat and Recover;
• Law Enforcement

The South Carolina Opioid Emergency Response Team is a collaborative effort created by executive order issued by Governor Henry McMaster. The SCOERT is comprised of state and local agencies with expertise in substance use disorders and treatment, public health and medical affairs, emergency response and planning, as well as law enforcement coordination and strategy. For more information on opioid abuse in South Carolina, visit justplainkillers.com.