Ending Substance Use Disorder and Overdose

In July, Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo joined First Lady Casey DeSantis at a round table to announce a statewide advisory on the dangers of fentanyl, now the leading cause of death in the United States for individuals age 18 to 45. This event is one of the ways that the Department coordinated with other state agencies to share available state resources on substance abuse and mental wellbeing to help meet the needs of communities across the state.  

In August, Florida unveiled its historic steps to fight overdoses from Substance Use Disorder and disrupt the opioid epidemic.

The Florida Department of Health, Department of Children and Families (DCF), and Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) have partnered to implement a network of addiction care, Coordinated Opioid Recovery Network (CORE), the first of its kind in the United States. This places Florida as a leader in sustainable addiction and opioid recovery. CORE has been initiated in 12 counties (Brevard, Clay, Escambia, Gulf, Marion, Pasco, Volusia, Citrus, Duval, Flagler, Manatee, and Pinellas) this year and will continue to bring additional counties into CORE in phases.

This comprehensive approach from care and peer navigators directly within an emergency department, to sustainable overall health care, expands every aspect of overdose response and treats all primary and secondary impacts of substance use disorder.

The network does not solely depend on emergency response for overdoses and Substance Use Disorder. It ensures patients are stabilized and treated for coexisting medical and mental health conditions through dental care, primary care, psychiatric evaluation, maternal care, and social support services. Social support services can address career training, housing, or food insecurity.

Additionally, the Department has continued its efforts with DCF to ensure that our first responders have access to naloxone, also known as Narcan, through the Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support (HEROS) program. The Department has also provided naloxone at county health departments throughout the state.

Spearheaded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, the Department has led the State’s The Facts. Your Future. campaign in coordination with several state agencies including the Department of Education and Department of Juvenile Justice. The campaign saw the development of more resources for students to have in their toolkits and assisting with the operations of assemblies at schools across the state. The Facts. Your Future. directly engages youth in Florida to improve their understanding of the life-altering effects of drug use and equips students with tools they need to make the right decisions to say no to drugs and alcohol.