South Carolina editorial roundup

Recent editorials from South Carolina newspapers:

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Dec. 26

The Post and Courier of Charleston on the need for harassment policies:

As the nation confronts accusations of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful men, South Carolina must establish more consistent policies to protect state employees.

State agencies are not required to have anti-harassment policies, and there are no consistent rules across agencies for employees to file complaints. Agencies can create their own rules based on guidelines from the state Department of Administration, but no one is sure how many of the state's 100-pluncies have policies.

Agency heads can begin to address these inconsistencies, but there also needs to be leadership from the governor's office and lawmakers. The policies should be consistent across all state agencies to help ensure the same rules apply to everyone.

The male-dominated Legislature also must continue to work on its policies.

The Senate, spurred by the flood of news reports on the issue, is trying to adopt a "clear and robust" policy before the legislative session begins in January, Senate President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman told Post and Courier reporter Seanna Adcox. Mr. Leatherman, who has led the Senate since 2014, said he hasn't received any complaints about harassment against senators or staff members.

The House has been more proactive in recent years, updating its anti-harassment policies after Jay Lucas became speaker in 2014, and forcing out two members over harassment accusations. New House members - four men and three women - recently underwent training on the chamber's no-harassment policy. Veteran members will get a reminder when they return to the Statehouse next month.

That's the right move for a body that's had its share of issues over the years, where the culture once was described as being similar to a hormone-filled high school or fraternity house. It's a place where an anonymous memo once suggested that female pages should dress scantily. Clearly something needed to change, and Mr. Lucas deserves praise for acting before sexual harassment became a national top-of-mind issue.

There are traditional options available to state employees who want to report bad behavior. They can file complaints with the state Human Affairs Commission or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They also can report complaints to their own agency, even if it doesn't have a policy.

But a consistent policy would make it easier to report harassment and emphasize the importance of protecting state employees. A new Senate policy, and a continued emphasis on the issue in the House, would show that bad behavior won't be tolerated in the Statehouse either.

The House also is taking steps to help sexual harassment victims in the private sector. Democratic Rep. Beth Bernstein, a Columbia attorney, prefiled a bill Dec. 13 that would stop employers from forcing alleged victims into arbitration, a practice that can keep accusations private. The bill, called the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act, would give victims the option of making their claims public by going to court.

The bill is co-sponsored by Republicans Gary Clary of Clemson, Raye Felder of Fort Mill and Anne Thayer of Anderson, and Democrats Mandy Powers Norrell of Lancaster, Will Wheeler III of Bishopville and James Smith of Columbia, who is running for governor. It was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant, who also is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, had some good advice for everyone that could have come straight from your mother.

"All men should be gentlemen. Keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself. It's really not that complicated."

Online: https://www.postandcourier.com/

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Dec. 27

The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg on the governor prioritizing the opioid crisis:

Earlier this year, T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton profiled the opioid crisis in an eye-opening three-part series focusing on the extent of the problem, its direct impact on lives and what can be done.

Gleaton reported on the numbers:

. The U.S. Centers for Disease and Control's latest Vital Signs shows opioid prescriptions continue to be written at a high rate, with the amount of opioids prescribed per person standing three times higher in 2015 than in 1999.

. The report indicates that while the amount of opioids prescribed in the United States peaked in 2010 and then decreased each year through 2015, the volume of the potentially addictive medications prescribed is still about three times higher than in 1999, when the problem with opioid addiction was in its infancy.

. The CDC has reported that prescription painkillers were responsible for roughly half of the nation's 33,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2015.

Gleaton reported that focus on stemming the tide of prescriptions for pain-killers is essential.

"I would consider that opioids are overprescribed in general. What has helped in the recent past are the guidelines that have come out from the CDC and the DEA in terms of their recommendations for how to use opioids and having the providers be more aware of their prescribing habits through just that educational process," said Dr. Monnie Singleton of Singleton Health Center in Orangeburg.

"I think that has helped us to sort of see a slight decrease in the number of prescriptions that are written, but old habits are hard to break. There are lots of physicians who've had patients on opioids for long periods of time and it's hard to get them off of opioids," Singleton said.

Gleaton reported on what a recovering addict has to say about the nightmare of opioid addiction.

"It's a rough life. It's a full-time job being an addict. There's not a moment you don't chase a pill. I mean if you don't got it, you can't move, you can't function. You barely can sleep, cold sweats. I mean, it's horrible. It's horrible knowing that your life is based around a pill, that you can't get out the bed, you can't go to work, you can't do nothing without that fix."

Gleaton reported that addiction experts believe the problem has to be approached as a medical one.

"There is not a silver bullet, but I think that the United States government needs to step up to the plate and do more to treating it more kindly and participate in finding ways to treat it more effectively," Singleton said. "Incarceration doesn't do a thing. . What they need to do is really embrace the fact that opioid addiction is a medical condition."

And Gleaton reported that the state government is aware that it must play a key role in addressing the problem.

Toward that end, Gov. Henry McMaster this past week put the full force of his office into finding solutions.

Calling the opioid abuse a "silent hurricane going on in our state," McMaster said opioid overdoses caused 616 deaths in the state in 2016, nearly double the state's 366 homicides and 331 drunken driving deaths in the same period.

As reported by The Associated Press, the governor announced he is using executive orders to limit opioid prescriptions under two state programs. He directed state health officials to limit initial opioid prescriptions to five days for post-operation pain and other acute needs for Medicaid recipients in the state system. Patients would have to make a request if they need more.

The governor said the state employee benefits system will put similar limitations on its health plans, and he also asked the legislature to consider making such limits state law for all residents.

McMaster declared a statewide public health emergency that will allow authorities to more easily coordinate emergency management, health care and law enforcement resources. And he's convening an opioid emergency response team including law enforcement officials, health providers and state regulators.

The governor's actions won praise from the South Carolina Medical Association, whose cooperation is essential.

The SCMA said in a statement: "The governor's actions recognize the need for professional health care providers to have the ability to care for their patients' needs, but also the very real dangers of excessive opioid use in the health care field. The SCMA thanks Governor McMaster for striking that very appropriate balance and so clearly recognizing the importance of doctors having the ability to make the best decisions for their patients."

McMaster said a "collaborative approach is the only thing that will work." As the state's chief executive, he has put the crisis at the top of the priority list and can take essential steps to bring together parties in just such an effort.

Online: http://thetandd.com/

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Dec. 26

The Index-Journal of Greenwood on people lost to addiction:

While many families across the celebrated Christmas by exchanging gifts, attending church and sharing laughs over meals, others had to endure a massive void.

One voice was heard no more, one person's laughter and smile were missing. Under the Christmas tree there were fewer gifts. On the tree hung ornaments that marked Christmases past, not to be added to beyond Christmas 2016.

For these families, Christmas was a struggle because a loved one lost his or her struggle with an addiction to a prescription pain medication, an addiction that is sweeping across the nation like a raging wildfire.

A small crowd gathered in Uptown Greenwood with lighted candles. They shared a common bond. Each had lost a loved one to an opioid overdose. And on Saturday, the family and friends of Brandon Wood will gather at The Oasis at Connie Maxwell Children's Home for a balloon release to honor Brandon's life and draw attention to the struggles both the addict and his family endure when addiction does not release its grip on a young life.

The #doitfor6 balloon release is but one way one Greenwood County family is channeling its grief over the loss of Brandon, a 21-year-old soccer athlete who wore jersey No. 6, was known for a broad smile who genuinely cared for others while struggling daily with an addiction to fentanyl - an addition that took his life Oct. 24, just two months before he and his family should have been sharing the joys of the season on Christmas Eve.

Brandon and others whose lives become entangled with opioids don't take such a path purposefully. But it is a path that is difficult to leave. There becomes no clear direction to turn back and no side path along the way that leads the addict to freedom and a renewed whole life.

Nationally, and here at home in South Carolina, efforts are under way to not only heighten awareness of the power of opioid addiction, but also combat it. Drug companies are duty bound to help. They exist to improve health and extend lives, not end lives. They have created drugs that excel at combating pain, but also can lead to addiction and death.

A war on opioids? Call it what you will, but it is a battle that must be waged and requires all of us to participate in because we are losing far too many otherwise good and wonderful lives every day.

Online: http://www.indexjournal.com/