Opioid overdose crisis: Florida expands naloxone distribution to all county health departments

Ana Goñi-Lessan, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read

Naloxone, the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug, will soon be available at all county health departments in the state.

The Florida Department of Health announced Wednesday, International Overdose Awareness Day, that it would expand the Florida Department of Children and Families’ Overdose Prevention Program to all 67 counties.

The expansion of naloxone distribution is part of the state’s response to the overdose crisis, which in 2021 killed almost 8,000 Floridians, the highest one-year total recorded in the state.

Opioid crisis hits home in Florida:

The naloxone distribution is one of the first moves under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Program, an effort between the Department of Health, Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration to curb the number of deaths caused by the polluted drug supply.

Naloxone is already available in Florida CVS and Walgreens pharmacies without a prescription and is covered by Florida Medicaid. Other insurances, however, might require a co-pay.

According to the announcement, the expansion "complements" the Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support (HEROS) program, which provides free naloxone to emergency response agencies.

Bridget Rivera, 55, lost her sister to a Fentanyl overdose, and has made it a mission to help stop the future deaths. She brings Narcan to pass out to people she meets in Cocoa neighborhoods, so if they ever see someone overdosing, they can render some kind of aid by giving naloxone (brand name Narcan) to help reverse the effects of opioids like fentanyl, heroin, morphine, and others.

It is unknown whether the naloxone available at county departments of health will also be free. DOH has yet to respond to questions about how much the naloxone distributed to all counties would cost.

Sixteen counties, including neighboring Gadsden and Jefferson counties, were given 1,500 doses of naloxone in the initial phase of distribution.

The state has been ramping up efforts to curb overdoses as the number of deaths continues to climb.

In July, 19 people in Gadsden County overdosed from what investigators said were fentanyl laced-drugs in just four days. Nine of them were fatal. In 2021, the county recorded a total 20 overdose deaths.

Last week, Attorney General Ashley Moody's ONE PILL CAN KILL campaign warned college students of fentanyl in bright, rainbow colors and another drug called eutylone, a psychoactive bath salt found that mimics the effects of ecstasy, meth and cocaine.

And in Tallahassee this week, a local harm reduction group recently alerted people who use drugs that MDMA in the area tested positive for fentanyl.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, signed HB Bill 95 Thursday afternoon at Polk County Fire Rescue Station 23 in Lakeland. The legislation will increase the penalty for trafficking methamphetamines, including fentanyl, to first-degree felony murder and raises the minimum mandatory sentence.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, center, signed HB Bill 95 Thursday afternoon at Polk County Fire Rescue Station 23 in Lakeland. The legislation will increase the penalty for trafficking methamphetamines, including fentanyl, to first-degree felony murder and raises the minimum mandatory sentence.

DeSantis announced the CORE program in early August and blamed the Biden Administration and lack of security at the border for the increased deaths caused by fentanyl.

“Substance abuse can affect any family at any time, so from education to law enforcement to treatment we are going to make sure that Floridians can take advantage of this new addiction recovery model,” DeSantis said.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has slowly replaced heroin and has been found in adulterated street drugs, from fake Xanax bars to methamphetamines.

More: Killing them softly: Advocates say legislative inaction will result in more drug OD deaths

In Florida, cocaine polluted with fentanyl has been documented since 2018, according to the DEA.

For more information on where to get naloxone, visit https://www.isavefl.com/find-naloxone.shtml.

Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan. 

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida expands naloxone distribution to all county health departments