Bamberg County to Offer Free Opioid Treatment to Residents After SCORF Grant

Bamberg County has been awarded grant funding from the South Carolina Opioid Relief Fund (SCORF) to expand access to opioid treatment, strengthen overdose data, and launch a countywide education campaign. The county says the program will include free medication-assisted treatment for residents and will begin implementation in early 2026, with services and outreach rolling out in phases throughout the year.

Bamberg County will work closely with the Low Country Health Care System to provide free treatment and therapy to residents with opioid addiction. “Bamberg County greatly appreciates Low Country Health Care System and SCORF for helping us obtain this grant, which is a critical investment in the health and safety of our community,” said Joey Preston, Bamberg County Administrator. “This collaboration gives Bamberg County the necessary tools to respond more effectively to the opioid crisis, support residents in recovery, and make informed decisions that protect lives.”

County officials list three key program benefits: enhanced overdose surveillance and data accuracy; free Medication-Assisted Treatment or MAT for county residents; and a countywide education and awareness campaign. Those elements reflect a mix of clinical care, public health monitoring, and prevention outreach aimed at reducing deaths and improving recovery supports in a largely rural county where access to behavioral health services can be limited.

The county announcement referenced service locations without enumerating them in the release. The Bamberg County website lists local clinics and treatment resources that may be part of the network of care available to residents. Those listings include Padgett Family Practice at 526 North Street, Bamberg, SC; Bamberg Specialty Services at 185 McGee Street, Bamberg, SC; and the Michael C Watson Treatment Facility at 2549 Main Highway, Bamberg, SC 29003, listed as outpatient and accepting Medicaid and private insurance. The site also lists Bamberg County Mental Health Clinic at 5573 Carolina Highway, Denmark, SC 29042; Orangeburg VA Clinic at 1767 Village Park Drive, Orangeburg, SC 29118; Aiken Barnwell Mental Health Center The Polly Best Center at 916 Reynolds Road, Barnwell, SC 29812; and the William J McCord Adolescent Treatment Facility, with some contact fields truncated on the website.

The county provides administrative contact information at the Bamberg County Courthouse Annex, Isaiah Odom Building, 1234 North Street, Bamberg SC 29003, with mailing address PO Box 149, Bamberg, SC 29003. The website shows Phone: (803) 245-5191 245-5191) and Fax: (803) 245-1219 245-1219), a formatting duplication that the county may want to clarify. For more information, the county provided an email contact: info@bambergcounty.sc.gov. The county website also includes a helpline disclaimer: By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.

Key operational details remain to be confirmed for residents seeking care. The press announcement did not specify the grant amount, exact eligibility criteria for free services, which specific sites will host SCORF-funded programs, what medications will be used in MAT, or whether a dedicated helpline number will be issued. County leaders and Low Country Health Care System will need to clarify those points as the phased roll-out proceeds.

For Bamberg County residents, the grant represents a concrete step toward local treatment access and better overdose surveillance. Expect county and partner announcements in coming weeks with enrollment instructions, confirmed service locations, and details on how neighbors can connect to free treatment and recovery supports.