Council votes to continue with Rubicon treatment services
By Samantha Lyles, slyles@newsandpress.net
Darlington County Council held a special meeting Monday, June 26 to hear presentations from two local agencies regarding the provision of drug and alcohol treatment in the county. At stake was about $104,000 in annual funding, revenues collected from the South Carolina Mini Bottle Excise Tax.
According to Ordinance 17-03, Darlington County must designate a single local agency – public or private – as the sole agency for drug and alcohol abuse planning and programs and disburse to that agency the yearly excise tax revenues.
Over the past few years, members of Council have repeatedly asked for service reports and audits from Rubicon Family Counseling Services (the county’s longtime designated provider) and been less than pleased with the lack of response. At Council’s June 5 meeting, they discussed the possibility of ending their relationship with Rubicon and instead designating Pee Dee Mental Health as their sole provider. This special meeting was scheduled to hear from representatives of both agencies and weigh the county’s options.
First up, Rubicon director Denise Cooper summarized the programs and services her agency provides, noting that Rubicon offers a variety of counseling options for people dealing with everything from substance abuse to family difficulties.
She listed a number of programs, including women’s groups, trauma-specific therapy, a DUI program called ADSAP (Alcohol-Drug Safety Action Program), nurturing parenting classes geared toward those involved with DSS and Child Protective Services, multi-family groups to treat addiction as a family disease, programs for adolescents and children, substance abuse counseling groups, individual counseling, and intensive outpatient therapy for those who need three or more sessions per week.
Cooper said all Rubicon clinicians are certified by the South Carolina Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and the majority of Rubicon clinicians are dual certified in the fields of substance abuse, social work, or as LPCs (Licensed Professional Counselors)
Council member Joyce Wingate Thomas asked about Rubicon’s office hours (Monday to Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.) and wondered why the agency has a short week. Cooper replied that counselors work a ten-hour day, four days a week to accommodate clients, but they are on call 24/7 and will schedule appointments as needed.
Cooper also mentioned that Rubicon is developing an innovative program to treat opiate addiction, utilizing program managers, social workers, and case managers to provide one-to-one contact, with treatment options and referrals tailored to the needs of the client.
Council member Bobby Kilgo asked if Rubicon has data on how much of the current opiate addiction problem is spurred by overprescribing physicians as opposed to street-bought illegal drugs. Denise Kelly of Rubicon replied that while they don’t have statistical data, anecdotal experience indicates that opiate addiction often begins with a legitimate injury and a legal prescription, but the addiction lingers long after the injury has healed.
“And then a person gets a dependency on opiates and their prescription is no longer there…so then it becomes a street issue,” said Kelly.
In reference to the matter of Council requesting documentation and reports from Rubicon, Cooper noted that in June of 2016, she took over as Rubicon director, replacing longtime director Winston McElveen. Darlington County administrator Charles Stewart said that at the county’s request, Cooper has provided staff with all requested documents, including a services plan and Rubicon’s 2015 and 2016 fiscal year audits.
Rubicon Family Counseling Services is located at 510 West Carolina Avenue in Hartsville, and they can be reached during office hours at (843) 332-4156. For emergencies only, call (843) 861-2740.
Patrick Bresnan, executive director of Pee Dee Mental Health, briefly addressed Council and noted that his agency does not qualify to receive Darlington County’s Mini Bottle revenue as Ordinance 17-03 is currently written. However, Bresnan did say that PDMH would gratefully accept any funding Darlington County could provide to supplement their programs.
After the presentations, Council voted unanimously to again contract with Rubicon to provide alcohol and drug abuse planning and programs for the 2017/18 fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.
Darlington County Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for July 10 at 6 p.m. in the Courthouse Annex located at 1625 Harry Byrd Hwy in Darlington. This meeting is open to the public.