By Jason Evans

Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Fears that a Pickens County outreach program aimed at providing opioid addicts with hope and pathways to treatment would not have funds through the summertime have proved to be unfounded.

During county council’s June 3 meeting, Bowers Emergency Services CEO Randy Bowers updated council on the Community Outreach by Paramedic Education (COPE) program.

Announced in January, the program sees community paramedics and peer support specialist from Behavioral Health Services of Pickens County visit residents who have recently received Narcan, which reverses opioid overdoses.

During the visit, the officials encourage the resident to seek services.

Pickens County was the first county in the state to launch the program.

During the launch announcement, Bowers said the “whole focus” of the program is to let users know that people do care.

“I thought I was going to come to you and say the COPE program ran out of funds,” Bowers said June 3. “We knew we had funding through April 30 and that we had new funding starting in October. We were really worried about the

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