Few accomplishments are as rewarding as waking up in the morning and hitting your target weight. You've worked hard to drop those unwanted pounds all year long, and you deserve a huge round of applause for what you've accomplished. However, if you're like many men and women, getting the sleek, sculpted body you crave is easier said than done. You've got pockets of unwanted fat around your abdomen, thighs, chin, and other areas - fat that just won't go away, despite diet and exercise.
Wouldn't it be nice to just freeze that fat away and forget all about your love handles?
At Southern Cosmetic Laser, our new, revolutionary fat-freezing treatment can help you achieve the toned look you've been dreaming of. That's right - we're talking about literally freezing the unwanted fat off your problem areas without invasive surgeries or extended downtime.
This amazing treatment is called CoolSculpting, and it's the world's leading non-invasive fat reduction procedure. It's specifically designed for people already at their desired weight who want to push past that plateau for real body sculpting results. If you're tired of seeing that excess belly fat, saggy skin, or double chin, CoolSculpting is the procedure for you. Southern Cosmetic Laser offers a wide range of the newest technologies to target fat reduction, skin tightening, facial and body remodeling, body toning, and cellulite reduction.
CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved procedure that has undeniable results. With CoolSculpting, you can permanently get rid of your muffin top, fat around your flanks, and more, all from the comfort and convenience of the Southern Cosmetic Laser office.
Technically known as cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting has the ability to reduce the number of fat cells in targeted areas between 20 and 25%. This unique technology uses controlled cooling to freeze and eliminate fat with minimal recovery time. No needles, no scalpels, no liposuction. Just real results provided by a licensed, experienced professional.
While CoolSculpting helps eliminate fat cells in your body, it doesn't harm the surrounding skin and muscles. Instead, it treats fat that is directly under the skin, also called subcutaneous fat. Since CoolSculpting doesn't target visceral fat deposits, this treatment works best for men and women who are approaching or already at their desired weight.
CoolSculpting is approved by the FDA to help reduce fat in the following areas:
CoolSculpting results are noticeable, proven, and long-lasting, helping you look your best and feel great from every angle. This exciting procedure works because fat cells freeze at higher temps than other tissues. As such, CoolSculpting delivers controlled, targeted cooling to do away with unwanted fat underneath your skin. These fat cells are essentially frozen or crystallized and eventually die. With time, your body will process that fat and will eliminate the dead cells, leaving behind a more sculpted physique.
Here are some quick CoolSculpting facts at a glance, so you have a better idea of why this fat cell elimination treatment is so popular:
Our CoolSculpting procedure is crafted around your comfort, with one-on-one attention in a relaxing atmosphere. It all starts with a detailed assessment, which you will complete prior to your treatment. This assessment will help us better understand your goals and desires, so we can freeze away the stubborn fat from the areas that matter most.
Typical CoolSculpting appointments take about an hour per area, though that time varies with each patient. Because our CoolSculpting applicators use a vacuum system to help with placement, you may feel a pulling sensation in the targeted area. Once placement is complete, we get to work on freezing your fat.
Before treatment, your skin is prepped with an alcohol wipe. A gel pad is then placed on your treatment area to help protect your skin. From there, a cold sensation is delivered through our applicators, which are designed for specific body parts.
Because there is no sedation involved with CoolSculpting, we encourage you to kick back, relax, and watch a little TV. If you prefer, you can also read or use your phone to check your favorite social media sites. Our friendly, experienced CoolSculpting technicians strive to keep you as comfy as possible during this quick treatment. When it's over, you can resume normal activities as soon as you like - there's no recovery or downtime to worry about!
CoolSculpting procedures are perhaps best known for eliminating stubborn belly fat, giving the patient a desirable, contoured tummy. However, this treatment is also very effective on other areas of your body:
While neck fat usually goes hand-in-hand with weight gain, symptoms like double chins can appear even if you're not overweight. CoolSculpting helps solve neck fat problems by eliminating fat cells in the area below your chin, giving you a slim, youthful appearance.
Many men and women begin CoolSculpting treatments to destroy fat around the abdomen or midsection. CoolSculpting does so by freezing stubborn subcutaneous fat in the abdominal region, resulting in a trimmed-up tummy. Remember, CoolSculpting does not treat visceral fat, or the fatty tissue surrounding the organs in your abdomen.
Back fat is a serious problem for many people in the U.S. This includes the upper back (where fat rolls over the bra), the mid-back (near the waist), and the lower back (where fat bulges over the beltline). Back fat can be hard to tone, but with CoolSculpting from Southern Cosmetic Laser in Cope, it's more than possible.
When it comes to stubborn fat, your upper arms are often the most difficult areas to treat. If you are constantly trying to hide your upper arms from friends and family, CoolSculpting is an excellent option to help overcome your insecurity.
Sometimes called saddlebags or flanks, love handles are the flabby areas that protrude from your hips. Love handles are often caused by fat retention over long periods of time. They can appear very pronounced in tight clothing, leading to feelings of embarrassment. Common factors that contribute to love handles are age, slow metabolism, hormones, and diets high in sugars and fats. With Southern Cosmetic Laser's CoolSculpting, patients leave behind stubborn love handles, helping them achieve a slimmer, more fit appearance.
If you are in good shape but suffer from chafing or discomfort due to fatty thighs, your solution could be at Southern Cosmetic Laser. Our technicians can help freeze away inner thigh fat, so you feel proud to wear skirts, shorts, and bikinis.
Q: Does CoolSculpting really work?
A: Yes! Southern Cosmetic Laser wouldn't be one of the most trusted providers of the treatment if it didn't work. According to recent statistics, CoolSculpting treatments can reduce fat reduction by as much as 25% in the affected area. Contact our office today for your initial consultation, where our team will advise you on how many treatments you need to meet your goals.
Q: How much does CoolSculpting cost?
A: Pricing varies depending on the areas you focus on and how many sessions you need in order to reach your goals. Our team will craft a custom treatment plan specific to you during your initial CoolSculpting consultation.
Q: How quickly will I see results?
A: Many patients can see results as soon as three weeks after their first CoolSculpting procedure in Cope. As your body continues to dispose of crystallized fat cells, you can see even more changes with time.
Q: Does CoolSculpting eliminate cellulite?
A: CoolSculpting is designed for fat reduction. However, it may help contribute to cellulite reduction in specific treatment areas. There are currently no FDA clearances for cellulite reduction with CoolSculpting. However, our office offers incredible treatments like Inmode Evolve to reduce the appearance of cellulite and trim, tighten, and tone your skin.
Q: Why should I choose Southern Cosmetic Laser for CoolSculpting in Cope?
A: Southern Cosmetic Laser is a CoolSculpting certified practice and has completed advanced training at the CoolSculpting University. With a highly-trained staff of medical professionals, we're one of the leading providers of CoolSculpting in South Carolina. We know that peace of mind is precious these days. That's why we're committed to you and your body contouring transformation every step of the way.
We are a full-service practice offering Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetic Dermatology services. As such, Southern Cosmetic Laser has several innovative treatments that complement your CoolSculpting procedure. Whether you're looking to tighten up that turkey neck or say goodbye to cellulite, we've got a custom treatment option waiting for you.
Southern Cosmetic Laser is Cope's first medical aesthetics practice to offer Sentient Sculpt. This exciting new product reduces fat, remodels skin tissue, and regenerates skin collagen, leaving your skin tight and smooth.
Using microwave technology, Sentient Sculpt uses up to 80% of the energy generated to penetrate fat under your skin. This process destroys fat cells and the fibrous bands that cause dimples, or cellulite. The remaining 20% of energy is used on the upper layers of your skin, tightening and contracting it to improve its overall appearance.
Sentient Sculpt benefits include:
Contact Southern Cosmetic Laser today to learn more about the benefits of Sentient Sculpt and how it can be paired with CoolSculpting treatments.
If you're ready to kiss that double chin goodbye, Kybella could be the solution you need. Kybella is a treatment that deoxycholic acid that breaks down fat cells when injected into the treatment area. It provides noticeable results for improved chin profile.
Kybella Benefits Include:
Inmode Evoke is the first and only FDA-approved, non-invasive product for facial remodeling treatment. Evoke offers tightening and lifting for facial rejuvenation and can help you achieve a more defined neck and jawline.
The Evoke Intelligence System regulates temperature and sense impedance every millisecond, providing remarkable results. Using proven bipolar radiofrequency energy, Evoke sub-dermally remodels your facial tissue. The Evoke technology offers precise, consistent power to achieve optimal results.
This advanced, state-of-the-art Thermal Body Contouring Technology helps to trim, tighten, & tone your skin at the same time. Evolve's cutting-edge tech can destroy fat, reduce cellulite, and tighten skin. The result? A newfound, youthful appearance and feel. This treatment is perfect for your mommy makeover, eliminating muffin tops, sculpting abs, and addressing fat around your thighs, belly, arms, legs, hips, and knees.
Benefits of Inmode Evolve include:
Contact Southern Cosmetic Laser today to learn more about the benefits of Inmode Evolve and how it can be paired with CoolSculpting treatments.
When it comes to unmatched patient care and body contouring services in Cope, no other practice comes close to Southern Cosmetic Laser. We pour passion into every service we offer, from non-surgical fat cell freezing to laser hair removal. If you're looking to make a change for the better this year, we're here to make your wishes a reality. Contact our office today to learn more about the stunning benefits of CoolSculpting technology. Before you know it, you'll be excited to show off that new bathing suit or bikini on the beach.
843-277-2240There’s a moment each year when we feel the first kiss of summer.It scorches our shoulders. We relax them. It flushes our cheeks. We lather them with sunscreen. It burns the bottom of our bare feet. We let the lapping ocean cool them. At that moment, some of us believe summer is a cure-all. It signals freedom for children, vacations for the lucky, and for the optimists – perpetual sunshine.It’s so convincing that it’s easy to forget the major snag: Summer is here to stay. And it’s brutal.In ...
There’s a moment each year when we feel the first kiss of summer.
It scorches our shoulders. We relax them. It flushes our cheeks. We lather them with sunscreen. It burns the bottom of our bare feet. We let the lapping ocean cool them. At that moment, some of us believe summer is a cure-all. It signals freedom for children, vacations for the lucky, and for the optimists – perpetual sunshine.
It’s so convincing that it’s easy to forget the major snag: Summer is here to stay. And it’s brutal.
In the Lowcountry, everything that made those first moments feel like a panacea can become a source of distress that can drag into October.
Temperatures hover in the 90s. Cloying humidity makes it feel at least 10 degrees warmer, sparking tempers and impatience. Frequent thunderstorms can dump inches of rain and cut power. Hurricane season is in full swing, triggering anxiety-provoking phone alerts and warnings.
Beyond physical exhaustion and lack of comfort, do months of unrelenting heat, storm advisories, hurricane threats and the changing climate have an impact on psychological well-being?
Cindy Lahar, a University of South Carolina-Beaufort psychology professor and program coordinator, doesn’t hesitate with the answer.
“Absolutely,” Lahar said. “There is no doubt.”
From a 30,000-foot view, research confirms what many may know.
As the weather warms, crime, aggressive behavior and domestic violence increase. Devastation from hurricanes and tornadoes can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. And high heat increases symptoms of depression and affects sleep, according to the American Psychological Association.
Though, more commonly, it’s the little stressors that build and compound with everyday hassles.
“Today there’s a hurricane warning, and tomorrow it’s a whole week of 95 degrees, and now there’s the wildfires,” Lahar said. “We can handle stress, our body naturally manages stress, but not if it keeps going.”
Maybe the mind also races to fear of a loved one in Texas or New Mexico, experiencing daily heat waves, or the hundreds of wildfires in Canada that have triggered air quality alerts in the United States for weeks. Some people may even have Eco-anxiety, which the APA says is the “chronic fear of environmental doom.”
Stressors are especially high for people who are experiencing food and housing insecurity, and other socioeconomic factors, said Anna Baker, an assistant professor of psychology at Clemson University. When you add extreme weather, there are situations that could leave a person unable to evacuate or temporarily house their family in the threat of a hurricane.
Any way it’s filled, there’s trouble when the proverbial cup of micro-stressors overflows. It becomes too much for the body to adapt to, Lahar said, which never allows the body to come down from a heightened state. The dysregulation can cause depression and anxiety.
“Most people think of depression as a winter thing,” Baker said. “But down here you don’t have the issue of not getting the sunlight, you have the opposite issue.”
The summer sun is blazing and perpetually miserable.
One health survey of millions in America found that for every couple degrees the temperature rose, there was an increase in self-reported mental health problems.
Another study, reviewing medical records of 2.2 million people who visited emergency departments across the U.S. between 2010 and 2019, showed a link between rising heat and visits for mental health issues. Proportionately, as temperatures ticked up, so did visits for issues such as anxiety and mood disorders, self-harm, and substance abuse.
Not only is it emotionally draining to deal with volatile weather patterns, the stressors surrounding them can take a physical toll beyond heat lethargy and dehydration. Lahar said stress causes blood pressure to rise, a racing heart and a weakened immune system.
“A lot of times we use our physical state to interpret our emotions,” Baker said.
Heat exhaustion causes lethargy, making a person feel so bad that they avoid the outside altogether. The isolation, and mental and physical feeling of tiredness, can worsen depression symptoms.
But with dangerous heat boiling the South, deadly flooding decimating parts of the Northeast and experts saying climate change will only make both worse, it’s hard to avoid not feeling something – physically or psychologically.
There’s no magic pill, but coping isn’t as Herculean a task as it may seem.
It’s difficult to reckon that a day at the beach – a place promising healing and rejuvenation – could create new problems.
Navigating the mentally and physically taxing Lowcountry summer heat isn’t about isolating in a 72-degree room for five months. Well, it could be. But for Lahar and Baker, it’s about strengthening physical and emotional resilience.
Part of that is what your momma told you. Eating well, staying hydrated and exercising work wonders. The big one, and maybe the hardest in our whirlwind, plugged-in and screen-obsessed world?
“People underestimate sleep,” Baker said. “It’s huge for cognition (and) for mental health.”
Then there’s what meteorologists want people to do: Prepare and do what you’re told.
Have emergency bags ready. Locate evacuation routes. Start hoarding water jugs and non-perishables early. Know where to get up-to-date, accurate weather information before a tornado warning sounds. Know where shelters are located. Is there transportation to those shelters?
“Preparation is the first thing when we look at our own survival. ” Lahar said as the first step to lessening anxiety around storms. “You’ve got to take care of your own safety.”
Without it, when a weather emergency is rumbling its way in, meeting those safety needs can feel too overwhelming.
Find a strong social network – neighbors, friends and family to laugh with and stay positive, Lahar said. Check on them often. And check on the people you don’t know. Helping others, such as volunteering at a shelter or handing out supplies after severe weather hits, is an effective way to work through mounting anxiety and depression.
“Depression is living in the past, anxiety is worrying about the future,” Baker said. “When we have that focus on either helping someone else or engaging with friends, we’re in the present moment.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2023, 9:20 AM.
That layer of green powder blanketing your car signals the annual springtime onslaught of pollen in the Upstate and the allergies it triggers.The pollen count was high on Wednesday and is forecast to be high at least through Sunday, according to pollen.com, a North Carolina health information and research company.Trees are the current culprit sending out pollen as part of their annual reproductive cycle.And as spring unfolds, it's keeping allergists occupied.“We have been very busy,” sai...
That layer of green powder blanketing your car signals the annual springtime onslaught of pollen in the Upstate and the allergies it triggers.
The pollen count was high on Wednesday and is forecast to be high at least through Sunday, according to pollen.com, a North Carolina health information and research company.
Trees are the current culprit sending out pollen as part of their annual reproductive cycle.
And as spring unfolds, it's keeping allergists occupied.
“We have been very busy,” said Dr. Emil Sarmiento of the Allergic Disease and Asthma Center in Greenville.
“It started really strong in February, and then the rain came and ... brought down the pollen count,” he said.
“But once the weather settled, the pollen count went up," he added. "And all that water was good for the trees, which start pollinating. We’re getting the vengeance of the trees now.”
Mold spores have also been a problem because of all the rain in recent months, he said.
So if you’ve got the tell-tale runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing and other symptoms associated with seasonal allergies, what can you do?
Sarmiento offers these helpful tips:
“Pollen counts are highest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” he said. “So you should postpone your outdoor activities until after 5 p.m. or before 10 a.m.”
Because pollen sticks to the hair, eye lashes, clothes and skin, shower and wash your hair after coming in from outdoors and wash clothes with hot water making sure to machine dry them and not hang them outside, he said.
Wear a mask and/or sunglasses or goggles and gloves while gardening or mowing the lawn, he said, and close the windows in your home and car to keep the pollen out.
“There’s a lot of over-the-counter medication ... that's available now, like Xyzal, and the generic, Levocetirizine,” he said. “It’s a 24-hour antihistamine. Some people may get sleepy ... so I tell people to take it at night.”
Nasal sprays like Flonase and Nasonex, and their generic counterparts, can help congestion and inflammation and are now affordable over-the-counter options as well, he said.
“But don’t overuse it,” he said. “If it says to take it once a day, take it once a day."
There are new eye drops on the market as well, such as Pazeo, that will calm itchy eyes, he said.
If you still have symptoms in spite of taking those medicines, Sarmiento advises seeing a doctor for an allergy evaluation to learn what substance or substances are triggering your allergies. Allergy shots are available for those people as well as pills for some allergens, he said.
And there are newer medications on the market for a subset of patients whose symptoms aren’t controlled by high-dose steroids and inhalers, he said. Those drugs reduce symptoms by affecting the body’s immune response to allergens.
The Upstate is in for several more months of troublesome pollen that will plague allergy sufferers.
“For people with allergic asthma, tree pollen is an important trigger,” he said. “We now have tree pollen until mid-May and then grass pollen.”
And of course, ragweed season starts in late summer.
For the daily pollen count, go to pollen.com.
Dominion Energy South Carolina now says it can retire coal-fired power generation by 2030, a significant reversal from plans released by the utility just last year.Dominion’s new 15-year plan said shuttering two coal plants and converting a third to natural gas is the best option by multiple measures. Natural gas would mostly replace the coal generation.The utility took over S.C. Electric & Gas in 2019 and serves customers around Charleston, Columbia, Aiken, Orangeburg and Beaufort. Its initial proposal could have kep...
Dominion Energy South Carolina now says it can retire coal-fired power generation by 2030, a significant reversal from plans released by the utility just last year.
Dominion’s new 15-year plan said shuttering two coal plants and converting a third to natural gas is the best option by multiple measures. Natural gas would mostly replace the coal generation.
The utility took over S.C. Electric & Gas in 2019 and serves customers around Charleston, Columbia, Aiken, Orangeburg and Beaufort. Its initial proposal could have kept at least one coal furnace running until 2071. That plan was turned down in December by the S.C. Public Service Commission.
In a hearing beforehand, commissioners questioned whether Dominion was following its parent company’s goals of ultimately taking carbon emissions to net-zero. Now, the utility’s preferred path would close the coal-fired Williams Station in Goose Creek by 2028, close the Wateree Station in Eastover that same year, and convert the Cope Station to gas-only by 2030.
“The closure of these plants will be a huge health benefit for families and children who have been forced to live, work and play in the shadow of coal-burning plants that pollute their air and the rivers where they boat and fish,” said Will Harlan, of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign.
Sierra Club is one of several groups that critiqued Dominion’s original plan before the PSC.
The utility would mostly make up the difference with more natural gas-burning plants, which Harlan called “shortsighted.” Dominion would also add some solar generation and batteries to store power.
“As we transition toward a cleaner energy future for South Carolina, we remain committed to low-cost and low-emitting natural gas-fired generation as an integral part of a sustainable and diverse fuel mix which is critical to serving our customers and communities with safe, affordable and reliable energy,” said Paul Fischer, a spokesman for Dominion.
Natural gas releases about half as much carbon dioxide as coal when burned for electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and doesn’t include some other pollution that comes with coal, such as mercury contamination.
But the largest component of natural gas is methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 25 times more potent in warming the earth than carbon dioxide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Methane leaks during gas extraction or transportation can make the fuel’s ultimate carbon footprint more significant.
Southern Environmental Law Center attorney Gudrun Thompson said the revised plan is a huge improvement, but the gas reliance makes the bigger picture a “mixed bag.” She said it may become less economically feasible if stricter rules to fight climate change come into play on the federal level.
Dominion was ordered to rework its proposal at the end of last year after the utility-regulating PSC said some of the base assumptions in the work were wrong. The commission was given significantly more power to scrutinize utilities’ plans in a 2019 state law. Dominion was the first utility to submit a plan after that change.
“This is a sea change from a few years ago, when the intervenors like us would file comments, and basically nothing would happen,” said Thompson, who is representing the Coastal Conservation League and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in the proceedings.
Dominion’s updated plan still analyzed its former preferred path, which would have kept coal online longer. But by using different base assumptions, including the possibility that the government starts taxing carbon emissions, the overall math changed.
The utility still plans to study in further detail how it will retire its coal units, Fischer said.
As the country enters it's second year of the pandemic, stress levels are higher than before. Doctors recommend having a coping skill to help with mental health.IRMO, S.C. — As the pandemic continues to impact the world, mental health has become an internal battle for many people. Doctors recommend everyone have a coping mechanism to deal with the stressors in their lives.Renee Downs, a resident in Irmo, says her coping mechanism is spending time in her garden."It’s vital, it’s very important,"...
As the country enters it's second year of the pandemic, stress levels are higher than before. Doctors recommend having a coping skill to help with mental health.
IRMO, S.C. — As the pandemic continues to impact the world, mental health has become an internal battle for many people. Doctors recommend everyone have a coping mechanism to deal with the stressors in their lives.
Renee Downs, a resident in Irmo, says her coping mechanism is spending time in her garden.
"It’s vital, it’s very important," Downs said. "I don't think I miss a day. Most of the time I don’t. I have to do something and it just balances me out."
Downs has been living in Irmo for nearly 8 years. She said she gardens every morning and evening and has planted more than 300 plants.
"They call me Crazy Flower Lady," Downs said. "If you come out in the morning, I’m outside. If you want to reach me, I’m outside. I’m always outside," she said. "It’s something I would hear the kids say, ‘That lady is outside again planting flowers' or doing this and, many times, even the kids would want to come out and just look at the flowers."
Downs said her gardening is an obsession, but it's very therapeutic and her way of coping with stress.
"On the days that I’m not gardening, well, I shouldn't say that. I’m always gardening," Downs said. "Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I am walking through the neighborhood, power-walking through the neighborhood and that helps a lot, too."
"Sometimes I will be out here so late my husband would send our dog outside to come get me in," she added. "I look up and see that the sun's gone."
She told News19 that on days she is not in her garden, she de-stresses by reading, cleaning the house, and watching football with her husband.
Dr. Kimberly Kruse, a neuropsychologist at Prisma Health in Richland County, said everyone handles stress differently.
"Just because a friend or someone else is engaging in a certain coping mechanism or hobby, it certainly does not mean that you would like that one," Dr. Kruse said.
Dr. Kruse said the ongoing pandemic increased the mental health crisis. She said there are two different types of stress someone could face.
"Dealing with stressors of this type can be challenging because they're long-term and persisting, as opposed to a stressor that would be acute or short term, which tends to have a beginning and an end," Dr. Kruse said. "When you're dealing with persisting stress, it's happening over a long period of time and the brain does not get the message that it can return to normal functioning.
Dr. Kruse said that, as a result, we tend to see people in "a state of hyperarousal or increased alertness" all as they attempt to navigate their daily routines, roles, and responsibilities.
Dr. Kruse said continuous stress can lead to the loss of memory, high blood pressure, anxiety, and other health problems.
"When people have, have a lot of things going on, or when you tend to be focused on multiple stressors at the same time, you have less effort and ability placed on encoding information or receiving information from your environment," Dr. Kruse said. "Each individual knows their own baseline of what they know they can tolerate and what they are tolerating on a daily basis."
As such, she said that anytime you see a change or departure from your typical abilities or skills, it may be time to reevaluate your lifestyle and remove any stressors that you have control over.
RELATED: National Suicide Prevention Month: Resources Available in SC
Downs said she thinks everyone needs to have their own coping mechanism for better mental health.
"You should fit time in for yourself, for relaxation," Downs said. "Anything that brings you joy, and this is what brings me joy. So with all the craziness going on in the world, this is my retreat, this is where I come to."
EDGEFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an increase in drug overdose deaths across the country.A new opioid abuse prevention program could help curb the issue in Edgefield County.“It’s a vicious cycle, but something has got to give, and this may be a great answer,” Edgefield County Sheriff Jody Rowland told NewsChannel 6’s Aiken Bureau Chief Shawn Cabbagestalk.The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office and the st...
EDGEFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is an increase in drug overdose deaths across the country.
A new opioid abuse prevention program could help curb the issue in Edgefield County.
“It’s a vicious cycle, but something has got to give, and this may be a great answer,” Edgefield County Sheriff Jody Rowland told NewsChannel 6’s Aiken Bureau Chief Shawn Cabbagestalk.
The Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office and the state health department are working with the Community Opioid Paramedic Education — or COPE — program to help treat substance abuse.
“The Sheriff’s office could deliver Narcan to an overdose victim on Monday. And then by Friday, that person was dead, and no amount of investigation is going to fix that,” he said.
First responders provide resources within 72 hours to people recovering from overdoses.
“You get on our list by surviving an overdose through Narcan. So this follow-up done by the paramedic is to try to get counseling for family or for the patient, the victim,” he added.
State health leaders say data shows opioid overdoses have increased in South Carolina since the start of the pandemic.
In Edgefield County, they were six reported deaths in 2021.
At least three deaths have been reported so far in 2022.
“Edgefield County is way out of proportion to its population on drug overdoses. We go where the leads take us. We go where the evidence takes us, but it became obvious to me quickly that that was simply not enough,” the Sheriff shared.
In Edgefield County, the program started with treating a recent overdose survivor who had been sober for a while.
“The drugs are in the street. As long as that drugs available, they’re going to find it,,” Sheriff Rowland said.
Any EMS agency in South Carolina is eligible to participate in the program.
“We are there to talk to the family, to mediate with the family, whatever we can do. I think it’s worth investing in, and I’m signed on,” he added.