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Core Strategies of the Opioid Recovery Fund Uses

The South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund must be used for one or more of the

following approved opioid remediation uses. The Core Strategies are given priority and include the following:

  • Naloxone or Other FDA-Approved Drug to Reverse Opioid Overdoses;
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Distribution and Other Opioid-Related Treatment;
  • Pregnant and Postpartum Women;
  • Expanding Treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS);
  • Expansion of Warm Handoff Programs and Recovery Services;
  • Treatment for Incarcerated Population;
  • Prevention Programs;
  • Expanding Syringe Service Programs; and
  • Evidence-Based Data Collection and Research Analyzing the Effectiveness of the Abatement Strategies within the State.

Learn more about each Core Strategy by expanding the following accordions.

A. Naloxone or Other FDA-Approved Drug to Reverse Opioid Overdoses
  1. Expand training for first responders, schools, community support groups, and families.
  2. Increase distribution to individuals who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover the needed service.
B. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Distribution and Other Opioid-Related Treatment
  1. Increase distribution of MAT to individuals who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover the needed service.
  2. Provide education to school-based and youth-focused programs that discourage or prevent misuse.
  3. Provide MAT education and awareness training to health care providers, EMTs, law enforcement, and other first responders.
  4. Provide treatment and recovery support services, such as: residential and inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, outpatient therapy or counseling, and recovery housing that allows or integrates medication with other support services.
C. Pregnant and Postpartum Women
  1. Expand Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services to non-Medicaid eligible or uninsured pregnant women.
  2. Expand comprehensive evidence-based treatment and recovery services, including MAT, for women with co-occurring Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and other Substance Use Disorder (SUD)/Mental Health disorders for uninsured individuals for up to 12 months postpartum.
  3. Provide comprehensive wrap-around services to individuals with OUD, including housing, transportation, job placement/training, and childcare.
D. Expanding Treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)
  1. Expand comprehensive evidence-based and recovery support for NAS babies.
  2. Expand services for a better continuum of care with infant-need dyad.
  3. Expand long-term treatment and services for medical monitoring of NAS babies and their families.
E. Expansion of Warm Handoff Programs and Recovery Services
  1. Expand services, such as navigators and on-call teams to begin MAT in hospital emergency departments.
  2. Expand warm hand-off services to transition to recovery services.
  3. Broaden the scope of recovery services to include co-occurring SUD or mental health conditions.
  4. Provide comprehensive wrap-around services to individuals in recovery, including housing, transportation, job placement/training, and childcare.
  5. Hire additional social workers or other behavioral health workers to facilitate the expansions of warm handoff programs and recovery services.
F. Treatment for Incarcerated Population
  1. Provide evidence-based treatment and recovery support, including MAT for persons with OUD and co-occurring SUD/MH disorders within and transitioning out of the criminal justice system.
  2. Increase funding for jails to provide treatment to inmates with OUD.
G. Prevention Programs
  1. Funding for media campaigns to prevent opioid use (similar to the FDA’s “Real Cost” campaign to prevent youth from misusing tobacco).
  2. Funding for evidence-based prevention programs in schools.
  3. Funding for medical provider education and outreach regarding best prescribing practices for opioids consistent with the 2016 CDC guidelines, including providers at hospitals (academic detailing).
  4. Funding for community drug disposal programs.
  5. Funding and training for first responders to participate in pre-arrest diversion programs, post-overdose response teams, or similar strategies that connect at-risk individuals to behavioral health services and supports.
H. Expanding Syringe Service Programs
  1. Provide comprehensive syringe services programs with more wrap-around services, including linkage to OUD treatment, access to sterile syringes, and linkage to care and treatment of infectious diseases.
I. Evidence-Based Data Collection and Research Analyzing the Effectiveness of the Abatement Strategies within the State