Columbia, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today announced that Sara Goldsby will continue serving as the director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS). Governor McMaster appointed Director Goldsby to her current position in May of 2017 and she was confirmed by the South Carolina Senate in February of 2018.

“The opioid epidemic is a silent hurricane that is affecting families across the country, but Sara Goldsby has become a leading voice in fighting this scourge on our citizens,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “Those South Carolinians struggling with drug abuse and addiction are well-served by Director Goldsby's innovative leadership, and the people of our state are fortunate to have her serving at the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services.”

In December of 2017, Governor McMaster named Director Goldsby as the co-chair of the South Carolina Opioid Emergency Response Team (SCOERT), which was created by executive order and has allowed state officials, private partners, and law enforcement to utilize the emergency management infrastructure to combat the growing epidemic of opioid deaths, addiction, and abuse. In June of this year, the SCOERT presented Governor McMaster with the South Carolina Opioid Emergency Response Plan.

“DAODAS has made great strides over the past few years in reducing the stigma and shame of addiction, supporting the more than 300,000 South Carolinians living in recovery, and bringing evidence-based and public health frameworks to local communities, but no one agency can solve the problem of addiction in our state,” said Director Goldsby.  “I am extremely excited by the opportunity Governor McMaster has given me to continue building partnerships across the public and private sectors as we work to improve the ways we prevent, intervene with, and treat substance use disorders in South Carolina.”

In fiscal year 2018, DAODAS’ system of state-funded treatment centers provided treatment services to 49,751 South Carolinians. DAODAS has expanded its system’s capacity to provide medication-assisted treatment to opioid use disorder patients, allowing for a 219% increase from 2017 to 2018 in the number of patients receiving those services.

Through a partnership with DHEC, DAODAS has trained more than 7,000 law enforcement officers in the use of Narcan®, the opioid overdose-reversal medication, resulting in over 500 lives being saved across the state.

Additionally, DAODAS supports 19 Peer Support Specialists, two of whom are facilitating the transition of inmates from prisons back to the community, with the remainder providing support in local jails, hospital emergency departments, and delivering recovery-support services to opioid use disorder patients in counties with the greatest need.