The Town of Mount Pleasant has received a Municipal Achievement Award for its innovative partnership to combat the opioid crisis. The city won in the public safety category. Forty cities and towns submitted their projects and initiatives for consideration in the annual awards.
At a time when opioid overdoses were increasing quickly across the nation in 2016, the crisis claimed the life of 19-year-old Creighton Shipman in Mount Pleasant. His mother, Nanci Shipman, founded WakeUp Carolina, a nonprofit dedicated to providing peer-based recovery support services. Aiming to maximize its impact, the group partnered with the Mount Pleasant Police Department to combat opioid misuse and save lives.
The innovative partnership includes peer support initiatives, community naloxone training and awareness events, comprehensive education for first responders, and now a Critical Information Management System, or CIMS, to provide real-time support for opioid-related incidents and increase follow-ups on overdose cases. The assistance kits left with the families of those who have suffered overdoses, which contain fentanyl testing strips and naloxone, are known to have saved at least one life. Mount Pleasant Town Council directed its allocations from the SC Opioid Recovery Fund to the effort.
The project also helps fulfill elements from the police department’s strategic plan, which targets community mental health needs — an issue frequently connected to drug misuse — and partnering with the private sector.
“To help combat the opioid crisis, the partnership between the Town of Mount Pleasant Police Department and WakeUp Carolina shows the importance of addressing the needs of the residents through a collaborative approach,” said Todd Glover, executive director for the Municipal Association.
These winning entries represent innovative projects undertaken by Municipal Association member cities and towns. Information and a video about the project are available on the Association’s website www.masc.sc (keyword: Achievement Awards).
The Municipal Association of SC initiated the Achievement Awards in 1987 to recognize and encourage innovations and excellence in local government.
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