JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) – A James Island pharmacy is one of 14 organizations in South Carolina to receive a portion of over $6 million in state funds designed to promote treating opioid abuse disorder and prevent the overprescribing of opioids.
Dottie’s Pharmacy is receiving slightly more than $480,000 in state funds to help make treatment more accessible in the state. The pharmacy is working to do that by communicating with patients, distributing Narcan boxes and increasing patient access to treatments that lower opioid addiction.
The funds, over $6 million in all, come from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board. Treatments include long-lasting injectable medications such as Vivitrol, Brixadi and Sublocade. Clinical Pharmacy Manager Joe Longo calls the drugs “wonderful” because they work by lowering cravings for opioids in patients.
“You’re not waiting for the weekend and saying, ‘Oh, do I have enough medication? Is my pharmacy in stock?’” Longo says. “The one medication lasts for the whole month.”…