{"id":7553,"date":"2025-08-20T16:34:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T16:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/columbia-launches-opioid-overdose-prevention-program\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T16:34:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T16:34:24","slug":"columbia-launches-opioid-overdose-prevention-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/columbia-launches-opioid-overdose-prevention-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Columbia Launches Opioid Overdose Prevention Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"147\" data-end=\"363\">The City of Columbia has rolled out a new public service campaign aimed at raising awareness about opioid overdose prevention and the importance of carrying <strong data-start=\"304\" data-end=\"314\">Narcan<\/strong>, the life-saving overdose reversal medication.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"365\" data-end=\"625\">The campaign, led by the <strong data-start=\"390\" data-end=\"445\">Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE)<\/strong> in partnership with <strong data-start=\"466\" data-end=\"488\">The Courage Center<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"493\" data-end=\"528\">A Second Chance Resource Center<\/strong>, carries the message: <em data-start=\"551\" data-end=\"623\">&ldquo;Strong Communities Carry Narcan. Because Every Life Is Worth Saving.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"627\" data-end=\"871\">Funded through the <strong data-start=\"646\" data-end=\"699\">South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund (SCORF) Board<\/strong>, the initiative includes social media outreach, printed materials, promotional items, and seven digital billboards positioned along some of Columbia&rsquo;s busiest corridors:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"873\" data-end=\"997\">\n<li data-start=\"873\" data-end=\"894\">\n<p data-start=\"875\" data-end=\"894\">North Main Street<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"895\" data-end=\"931\">\n<p data-start=\"897\" data-end=\"931\">Elmwood Avenue (both directions)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"932\" data-end=\"950\">\n<p data-start=\"934\" data-end=\"950\">Gervais Street<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"951\" data-end=\"973\">\n<p data-start=\"953\" data-end=\"973\">Harbison Boulevard<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"974\" data-end=\"997\">\n<p data-start=\"976\" data-end=\"997\">Greystone Boulevard<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"999\" data-end=\"1114\">Each billboard serves as a reminder that Narcan saves lives and is a critical tool in fighting the opioid crisis.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1116\" data-end=\"1179\">Community impact has already been significant. As of June 30:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1651\">\n<li data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1231\">\n<p data-start=\"1182\" data-end=\"1231\">387 people were educated on Good Samaritan laws<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1232\" data-end=\"1299\">\n<p data-start=\"1234\" data-end=\"1299\">278 individuals trained on how to respond to an opioid overdose<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1300\" data-end=\"1385\">\n<p data-start=\"1302\" data-end=\"1385\">492 naloxone kits and 429 fentanyl test strips distributed to at-risk individuals<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1386\" data-end=\"1539\">\n<p data-start=\"1388\" data-end=\"1539\">57 adults connected to peer recovery services, 53 to housing services, and 35 to employment opportunities through <strong data-start=\"1502\" data-end=\"1537\">A Second Chance Resource Center<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1540\" data-end=\"1651\">\n<p data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"1651\"><strong data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"1564\">The Courage Center<\/strong> provided 58 recovery coaching sessions and trained 110 people to administer naloxone<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1653\" data-end=\"1809\">More than 500 community members have been reached through outreach events, expanding access to education, treatment, and support services across Columbia.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1811\" data-end=\"2074\">&ldquo;This collaboration reflects Columbia&rsquo;s unwavering commitment to community wellness and second chances,&rdquo; said <strong data-start=\"1921\" data-end=\"1933\">Amy Free<\/strong>, ONSE SCORF Project Coordinator. &ldquo;Together, these organizations champion recovery, resilience, and the belief that no life is disposable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2076\" data-end=\"2163\">For more information or to request free treatment services or case management, visit:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"2164\" data-end=\"2453\">\n<li data-start=\"2164\" data-end=\"2247\">\n<p data-start=\"2166\" data-end=\"2247\"><strong data-start=\"2166\" data-end=\"2188\">The Courage Center<\/strong> &ndash; <a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.couragecentersc.org\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"2191\" data-end=\"2245\">couragecentersc.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2248\" data-end=\"2348\">\n<p data-start=\"2250\" data-end=\"2348\"><strong data-start=\"2250\" data-end=\"2285\">A Second Chance Resource Center<\/strong> &ndash; <a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/ascresource.org\/contact\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"2288\" data-end=\"2346\">ascresource.org\/contact<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2349\" data-end=\"2453\">\n<p data-start=\"2351\" data-end=\"2453\"><strong data-start=\"2351\" data-end=\"2376\">City of Columbia ONSE<\/strong> &ndash; <a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/crimeprevention.columbiasc.gov\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"2379\" data-end=\"2451\">crimeprevention.columbiasc.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The City of Columbia has rolled out a new public service campaign aimed at raising awareness about opioid overdose prevention and the importance of carrying Narcan, the life-saving overdose reversal medication. The campaign, led by the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE) in partnership with The Courage Center and<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/20\/columbia-launches-opioid-overdose-prevention-program\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31,38],"tags":[1136,1135],"class_list":["entry","author-john-griggs","post-7553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-community-news","category-health","tag-narcan","tag-prevention"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gpstrianglenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Opioids-Billboard_2025_630x350.jpg?fit=630%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7553\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpstrianglenews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}