AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The deadline for local recovery groups to apply for funding from the national opioid settlement in Richmond County was September 1. City leaders say the money will help local organizations, services, and programs working to address the opioid epidemic in Augusta. Dr. Marshall Bedder sits on the local Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. He is also an associate professor at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and a founder of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship. He was spent decades studying medicine and the opioid epidemic. “This is our first year dispersing the money, which will be coming probably over the next eight to ten years,” Bedder said. “So it’s a great responsibility to do it right,” Bedder said. “Of the 100 counties in Georgia, we probably have the most deaths, opioid-related deaths.” The funding comes from the state’s Farm to Food Bank program. News 12 obtained official data from the Georgia Department of Public Health. In 2024, 89 opioid-related deaths occurred in the East Central Health District, which serves 13 counties across the CSRA. Of those, 63 were in Richmond County. The department also reported 226 overdose hospital discharges in Richmond County that year. In 2025, the area saw a slight decrease, with 63 deaths in the East Central Health District, 33 in Richmond County, along with 174 discharges. Preliminary data from January to March 2026 shows Richmond County had 13 opioid-related deaths and 32 discharges. Bedder said…
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