County to Fund Two Education Projects from Opioid Fund

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council on Tuesday gave initial approval to tax incentives for the expansion of a local, family-owned business which has been in Anderson since 1968, to add an additional 49 full-time jobs, as part of a $6.6 million expansion investment. The new jobs will have an average pay of $30.11 per hour. The company currently has 23 full-time jobs.

Council also approved a pair of initiatives to address the drug abuse problem in the county, using a portion of the county’s $3.56 million in opioid settlement funds. The Anderson County Coroner’s Office will receive $45,000 for an education program aimed at middle school and high school students. The funds will be used for instructional, informational and promotional materials as well as training aimed at curbing opioid-related deaths.

Deputy Coroner Don McCown said the need is growing, and that the program will bring together EMS, law enforcement and others serving in medical roles to address problems.

“In 2021, there were 48 drug deaths in Anderson County,” said McCown. “In 2022, there were 101, and 2023 is on track to exceed that number by a long shot.”

McCown said currently first responders answer three-five drug-related calls every day.

Council also allocated $155,000 from the opioid fund for PlaySafe, an Anderson-based nonprofit organization serving more than 20 middle/high schools providing services of Certified Athletic Trainers (ACTs) to participating schools. The group aims to address opioid addiction that often arises from misuse of pain medications post-injury among student athletes. The group will provide assistance in the school environment to implement alcohol and other drug (AOD)/opioid addiction awareness (OAA) activities. Their program aims to be comprehensive in addressing pain medication management and risks, mental health evaluation and treatment, whole-family AOD/OAA education, and data collection/reporting. 

“I think these programs are going to have a great impact,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn.

Council also reappointed Frances Saville to the Anderson County Library Board from Dist. 3, and appointed new member Angela Dixon to join the board from Dist. 5.