Thursday, May 02, 2024

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) is working with Charleston County’s Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (more commonly known as The Charleston Center) to help prevent opioid misuse in Charleston. Through this partnership, the Library will provide programming, services, materials, and resources to educate teens and adults on the dangers of opioid misuse.  

Thanks to funding provided by The Charleston Center, CCPL plans to distribute books and provide programming and outreach services. The book titles, which were selected by The Charleston Center and CCPL Teen and Adult Services librarians, will be distributed at library programs hosted to educate teens and adults about opioid prevention. Additionally, Opioid Rescue Kits, also known as Naloxone boxes, or NaloxBoxes, will be installed at every library branch in the County. These kits aim to provide access to the public to life saving tools for victims of opioid overdoses, including the opioid overdose reversal medication Naloxone. Each box contains a Narcan Nasal Spray and CPR mask, along with an instruction manual for using the kit. 

“With members of our community dying from overdoses, it’s imperative organizations like ours work with public health institutions like Charleston Center to increase exposure to valuable information and resources. Additionally, by providing access to overdose reversing tools in our public spaces, we could help save lives,” said CCPL Executive Director Angela Craig.  

Upcoming teen programs will be hosted at the Wando Mount Pleasant Library on Thursday, May 9 at 4 p.m. and the Bees Ferry West Ashley Library on Tuesday, May 14 at 2:30 p.m.  Programs will feature information from Charleston Center, which provides prevention, intervention, education, and treatment for substance abuse including inpatient and outpatient services, and more. The programs will also feature Wake Up Carolina, a non-profit organization led and governed by representatives of our local recovery community that organize recovery-focused advocacy activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs, and provide peer-based recovery support services. For information on programs at other locations, visit ccpl.org.  

“We are so excited to partner with our libraries to get vital information out to our youth and adults on the dangers of opioid use and misuse and on resources available to provide help. Libraries play a critical role in our community, and they are essential partners in our opioid abatement work,” said Charleston Center Director Chanda Funcell. “Libraries are central to community engagement and sharing of information and can play a key role in helping to save lives in the midst of this opioid crisis.”  

Drug overdoses are a growing problem in Charleston. According to The Charleston Center, there were 1,678 suspected overdoses in Charleston County in 2023, with 234 of those resulting in death.  Through partnerships such as the one with the Library, the Center aims to educate residents of Charleston County on the dangers of opioid misuse and help them live productive lives, free from the impact of alcohol, other drugs, and addictive behaviors.  For more information on the Charleston Center, visit cc.charlestoncounty.org or call their 24-hour helpline at 843-722-0100.