Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, the Florida Department of Health (Department) announced the allocation of $6.6 million from the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Grant to 14 Counties to assist local communities in the fight against all-drug overdose and opioid abuse. The Department’s receipt of the $58.8 million OD2A grant was first announced on October 2, 2019 by First Lady Casey DeSantis as part of her Hope for Healing Florida initiative.
“The fight against drug overdose and opioid abuse is a crisis we must overcome,” said First Lady DeSantis. “Although there is much work ahead of us, providing these funds at the local level is a crucial step in our path forward.”
“Local communities are at the forefront in this fight to end drug overdose and opioid addiction in our local communities,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “Providing these funds to fight this crisis is critical to our efforts to end this public health crisis in Florida.”
“The misuse, addiction, and overdosing of opioids and other drugs are a serious public health problem in our communities,” said Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees. “The Department is committed to strengthening their capacity to develop innovative, community-based programs that save lives and help families recover from the devastating effects.”
The OD2A projects will employ a range of approaches focused on increasing timeliness of overdose surveillance data; building state and local capacity to implement evidence-based public health practices; making Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) easier to use and access; and working with health systems, insurers, and communities to improve opioid prescribing. It also adds new work focused on linkages to care and innovative strategies, such as pilot projects focusing on community paramedicine and school health.
The counties receiving funding through the OD2A initiative include: Brevard, Citrus, Clay, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Pasco, Pinellas, St. Lucie, Sarasota, and Volusia.
All 14 counties received funding to accomplish core activities of the OD2A project. Five counties (Brevard, Manatee, Nassau, Pasco, and Sarasota) also received funding for school-based collaborations to implement substance abuse health education and activities in public schools, and two counties (Clay and Marion) received additional funding to implement community paramedicine projects to improve patient follow-up among individuals most at risk of overdosing.
