Overdose deaths decrease nationwide, and here in the Upstate
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), overdose deaths have decreased nationwide by almost 27% in the past year, and are projected to reach their lowest level since 2019.
'You realize you have a problem, you know true leadership is dealing with the problem and then putting the plan in place, and I believe that's probably what's happening nationwide,' said Spartanburg Co. coroner Rusty Clevenger.
Clevenger's data showed overdose deaths in Spartanburg Co. skyrocketed during Covid. He said it was then that he and state officials knew they not only needed to track the deaths, but exactly where these drugs were coming from and which ones were the cause.
'We had to figure out where the hotspots were at so we could put you know, measures in place to try, whether it be education or whatever, and it seems to be working as well,' he said.
Data showed Spartanburg County saw a marked decrease in overdose deaths in 2024. 'The numbers are holding steady about last year's levels, maybe a little bit less right now,' Clevenger explained.
However Keith Blanton, the Pastor and Superintendent at Faith Home, a non-profit Christian recovery center, said beds in their facilities across the Upstate stay full. He told us between their four locations, there are 135 beds.
'I think more people are getting help,' said Blanton. 'I just do. I think that you know, Narcan is a good thing. It saves people's lives and as long as they're alive, you know there's a chance.'
Blanton said thanks to the coroner's office and law enforcement agencies tracking 'hotspots' and providing education, drugs no longer have to be the end of every user's story.
'It's tough,' Blanton said. 'It's tough at first especially, but it gets easier, and it gets better. But if I had one thing to say, you do not have to live that way, there's a way out if you want out.'
Blanton told 7NEWS over the years that the people they serve have become significantly younger.
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