MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – An Horry Georgetown Technical College professor will conduct a study to determine just how bad the heroin and opioid epidemic is in Horry and Georgetown Counties, according to officials with the City of Myrtle Beach.
Professor Renee Causey will lead the study. She will research local policies, identify current initiatives, highlight any gaps in service and provide recommendations for improvements which will help save lives in the two counties, the city says.
“We need to identify what’s working and what isn’t and craft a strategy to halt the abuse which is claiming so many of our residents and harming our families,” Causey said. She has already begun the research and will have a report in less than 120 days.
Causey is the 2017 HGTC Professor of the Year and teaches in the Human Services program. She earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology and philosophy, followed by a master’s of social work, from the University of South Carolina. She is currently a doctoral student, completing her dissertation research on how to resolve the opioid crisis in America.
The study will cost $60,000 and is funded, according to the city, “from a variety of stakeholders who are forced to respond to the consequences of heroin and opioid abuse.”
The City of Myrtle Beach and Horry County each contributed $12,500. The City of Georgetown and Georgetown County contributed $5,000 each, while healthcare providers HCA, McLeod Health, Tidelands Health and Conway Medical Center each contributed $6,250.
