The Effingham County Health Department is looking for ways to determine just how widespread opioid abuse is among residents.
During the Effingham County Health and Insurance Committee’s meeting June 4, committee members explored the possibility of having the county’s wastewater tested to determine levels of opioid use in the area.
“I know they can do it. The issue is the cost and if the state’s willing to do it or not,” Effingham County Health Department Administrator Jeff Workman said during the meeting.
Workman said wastewater tests were a “good indicator” for the county during the COVID-19 pandemic because it gave the health department a better idea of the extent to which the disease was spreading in the area and helped it predict outbreaks.
“It worked well for COVID because a lot of people who had COVID refused to get tested,” he said.
Effingham County Board Administrator Angie Thompson suggested that the county use the share of funds it’s receiving from the billions of dollars being paid by several companies that were sued for their alleged role in the national opioid crisis. In January, the county board voted to give approximately $10,000 of its opioid settlement funds to the Central East Alcoholism & Drug Council, which offers treatment to residents suffering from addiction.
“We have certain measures we have to meet for it to be spent appropriately,” Thompson said. “We can use it for collecting research and data.”
Not all of the county’s opioid settlement funds have been allocated yet, but Thompson said the county will receive a total of approximately $400,000. She also told committee members that testing the county’s wastewater for opioids could help shed light on what often goes unnoticed.
“People aren’t going to report that they’re using opioids unless there’s an issue,” she said. “So you have a way to gauge your efforts.”
Committee member Tim Ellis said he agrees that a wastewater test could help the county significantly as it decides how to best address issues regarding opioid use in the area.
“We’ve got a baseline to start, even if it’s at the treatment plant site,” he said.
The committee did not take any action regarding wastewater testing during the meeting.
Also during the meeting, Workman told committee members that the health department has been asked to participate in an overdose death review panel which would attempt to identify any potential factors that can be linked to opioid abuse by “tracing back” through the life of someone who died as a result of an overdose. According to an annual report from the Effingham County Coroner’s Office, five county residents died as the result of an overdose in 2023.
“The state is actually looking at the possibility of doing those on a county basis throughout the state,” he said. “It’s all FOIA protected.
“It’s an option down the road.”
Meanwhile, the vice chair of the committee, Norbert Soltwedel, asked if the availability of Narcan throughout the county is in any way making residents more likely to use illicit drugs like opioids.
“I just wondered whether we should have some restrictions on how accessible this stuff is,” Soltwedel said.
Workman said he doesn’t think the availability of Narcan is necessarily encouraging drug use, explaining that strong opioids like fentanyl can cause fatal overdoses regardless of whether Narcan is administered.
“I don’t think anyone should assume they’re safe, even if you have Narcan,” he said.