Substance use education just became mobile in Greenville County.The Phoenix Center and the ECHO Rx Greenville Coalition in partnership with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office have transformed a trailer. It’s called the Mobile Substance Use Education trailer. Coroner Parks Evans hopes this can help address a concerning trend in overdose deaths. He said his office is having to make an effort to keep up with overdose deaths. “It’s definitely something that’s getting to where we almost can’t handle it all,” Evans said. Evans notes that overdose deaths increased from 145 in 2019 to 180 in 2020. That’s a nearly 25 percent increase. He said 2021 is looking worse so far. “We’re probably about 17 ahead of what we were this time in 2020,” Evans said.He’s hopeful the new trailer will help build awareness about substance use. “We’ve got to get the word out,” Evans said. “So we’re going to hit the road with this educational trailer.”Outside the trailer there’s educational games. Inside there’s technology and displays about dangers of drug use.There’s also testimonies from individuals and families impacted by substance use. “In some way that my story can make a difference,” Susan Bouknight, substance use education advocate, said. Bouknight lost her son to an overdose. “When he passed a lot of guilt, a lot of guilt, what could you do, what could you have done different,” Bouknight said. Her family’s difficult experience is featured in a video inside the trailer. “Hopefully it will bring emotion because where there’s emotion, there’s impact,” Bouknight said. The Phoenix Center believes this operation will help break the difficult barrier of transportation. “Sometime it takes an hour to get from one part of our county to the next,” said Brandi Simmons, DFC coordinator at Phoenix Center. “And so as central as our location is, you know, if you don’t have a car, going ten minutes down the road is hard and so just taking this trailer to the community and just being there, being a face, and a willing listening ear, I think it’s going to be huge.” “To me if we just save one life, it’s well worth what we’ve put into it, what we’re going to continue to put into it,” Evans said.
Substance use education just became mobile in Greenville County.
The Phoenix Center and the ECHO Rx Greenville Coalition in partnership with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office have transformed a trailer. It’s called the Mobile Substance Use Education trailer.
Coroner Parks Evans hopes this can help address a concerning trend in overdose deaths. He said his office is having to make an effort to keep up with overdose deaths.
“It’s definitely something that’s getting to where we almost can’t handle it all,” Evans said.
Evans notes that overdose deaths increased from 145 in 2019 to 180 in 2020. That’s a nearly 25 percent increase.
He said 2021 is looking worse so far.
“We’re probably about 17 ahead of what we were this time in 2020,” Evans said.
He’s hopeful the new trailer will help build awareness about substance use.
“We’ve got to get the word out,” Evans said. “So we’re going to hit the road with this educational trailer.”
Outside the trailer there’s educational games. Inside there’s technology and displays about dangers of drug use.
There’s also testimonies from individuals and families impacted by substance use.
“In some way that my story can make a difference,” Susan Bouknight, substance use education advocate, said.
Bouknight lost her son to an overdose.
“When he passed a lot of guilt, a lot of guilt, what could you do, what could you have done different,” Bouknight said.
Her family’s difficult experience is featured in a video inside the trailer.
“Hopefully it will bring emotion because where there’s emotion, there’s impact,” Bouknight said.
The Phoenix Center believes this operation will help break the difficult barrier of transportation.
“Sometime it takes an hour to get from one part of our county to the next,” said Brandi Simmons, DFC coordinator at Phoenix Center. “And so as central as our location is, you know, if you don’t have a car, going ten minutes down the road is hard and so just taking this trailer to the community and just being there, being a face, and a willing listening ear, I think it’s going to be huge.”
“To me if we just save one life, it’s well worth what we’ve put into it, what we’re going to continue to put into it,” Evans said.
