response

COVID-19: Operations and Response

March 16, 2020

UPDATE: Beginning Monday, April 6th LRADAC will be accepting new patients. In order to become a new patient, please call 803-726-9300, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Your call is important to us and will be forwarded to an on-call clinical manager who will schedule a time for an assessment appointment. If you are unable to reach the on-call manager, please leave your name and number and the manager will return your call as soon as possible.

As we continue to monitor the latest developments with the 2019 novel coronavirus, called COVID-19, our first priority remains the health, safety and security of our patients, workforce members and community. We are taking a measured response to mitigate risk and have made the following decisions about our Lexington and Richland campuses.

Beginning Monday, March 23rd, LRADAC’s Richland, Lexington and Recovering Professional Program sites will be closed for onsite services. LRADAC staff will be working remotely. 

Our withdrawal management services (detox) will operate as usual with a decreased census to allow for social distancing between patients. New patients will be accepted as decreased census allows.

Narcan is available for patients and/or individuals who have a loved one in need to help reduce the risk of overdose from coming in contact with opioids. To obtain Narcan, contact LRADAC’s withdrawal management services at 803.726.9390. Narcan will only be distributed from the Richland Campus (2711 Colonial Drive). Withdrawal management staff will direct you where to come in order to pick up Narcan.

Currently, we will be working remotely. However, LRADAC’s leadership team will monitor the situation daily to determine if a change in that time period is warranted. When circumstances regarding health and safety allow, we will reinstate onsite assessments, outpatient and intervention services and begin accepting new patients. When safe and feasible to do so, community outreach and prevention services will resume.

Please continue to visit lradac.org and follow us on Facebook to receive up-to-date information. 

Preparations

  • We are diligently following guidance and best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • Across all of our facilities, we have increased our daily cleaning routines, including more frequent handwashing, use of sanitizer and cleaning of equipment. Operations staff members and contract cleaning personnel are taking extra precautions to sanitize areas, especially public spaces and touch points. Our cleaning crew utilizes chemicals on the CDCs approved list of cleaning agents.
  • Alcohol based hand sanitizer stations have been placed at all entrances and we encourage everyone to use them.

Patients/Workforce Members/Visitors

What You Can Do

While a new type of illness can be scary, you can help protect yourself by following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for preventing respiratory illnesses.

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
  • Stay home when you’re sick.
  • Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue and put it in the trash immediately.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  • Get the influenza vaccine.

Online Recovery Resources

Resources

The most up-to-date information on the coronavirus can be found on the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites.

 Understanding Coronavirus

LRADAC is the designated alcohol abuse and drug abuse authority for Lexington and Richland Counties of South Carolina. The public, not-for-profit agency offers a wide array of prevention, intervention and treatment programs in locations convenient to residents of both counties. The agency has a budget of approximately $10 million and serves more than 5,000 clients per year.