77th Coffee with the Commissioner--Great Conversation on How we are Attacking the Opioid Epidemic Locally

Today on our 77th Coffee with the Commissioner Event(which you can view in it's entirety by clicking the video above) we discussed the CORE program which the county will be implementing, in conjunction with community healthcare partners, to combat our out-of-control opioid overdose issue here.  This program will help folks find addiction treatment options to help them kick their habits if they seek help.  The panel describes how this program will work, and how it is modeled after a very successful program in south Florida.  Dr. Mark Stavros from Florida West Hospital, Chandra Smiley from Community Health Northwest, Marie Mott from the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, and Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore joined County Administrator Wes Moreno and I for the discussion.

Another Sad Loss to Drugs in Escambia County, This one a Military War Veteran

Escambia County lost another soul to a drug overdose late last week--this one a combat veteran.

I heard the terribly sad news over the weekend from a friend that another illegal drug overdose in Escambia County had taken another life.  Apparently and sadly-after hearing from the District 1 Medical Examiner on multiple occasions recently about this same topic--this appears to be an all-too-familiar occurrence.

Every loss of a human life is a tragedy of immense proportions, every one of these individuals leaves behind friends, family, loved ones and most of all ---a host of unanswered questions and unimaginable grief. 

This particular individual was a military veteran who struggled with substance abuse since serving in combat in the middle east and being injured there.  He suffered, but he was working through the addiction; he was in programs to assist him in re-integrating back into work and away from the drugs and the criminal justice system.  

But the addiction was simply too strong, it appears.

Because sadly, after an acquaintance failed to hear from him for several days--worry began to mount.

No contact for several days via cellphone, no returned text messages.

So on Thursday of last week concerned friends entered his apartment with the assistance of the property manager.

And sadly, this individual was found dead of an apparent drug overdose.  It appears he had been dead for a number of days.

Was it fentanly mixed with Heroin?  Something else?  

No one knows-- and an investigation will have to determine exactly what it was that took his life.  

But this is an epidemic in our community, and this individual is yet another example of this.

When will we overcome our addictions to these illegal drugs in the United States of America and right here in Pensacola Florida?  

Or more importantly-- can we and will we?

(There are things everyday citizens can do to help curb the overdose increases we see locally.  If you know someone who struggles with addiction and who uses drugs, you can save them from an overdose if you have NARCAN.  Learn about NARCAN, how it can save lives, and how you can get NARCAN FREE right here in Pensacola, by visiting this website.)

How YOU Can Save a Life

How can you save a life from an overdose in Escambia County?
Find out below....

As I learned last week on my Coffee with the Commissioner livestream with First Judicial Circuit Chief Medical Examiner Deanna Oleske---we are experiencing a lot of preventable opiod deaths in our area.

Distrubingly, for the first time in recent memory, Alcohol has been overtaken by Fentanyl as the drug which takes the most lives via overdose throughout Florida. Statewide, drug overdoses were up 57% in the first 6 months of 2020 when compared to the same time period in 2019. 

In Escambia County-the figure is even more grim.  Our overdoses are up nearly 60% in that same timespan.  And according to the Medical Examiner we are experiencing more deaths than are normal, with 95% of the cases her office sees being deemed "preventable" by the medical examiners office. Another thing that the doctor pointed out to me during our chat is that methamphetamines locally are now being cut (laced) with Fentanyl in many instances--which leads to addiction and a surge in overdoses.  Also on our coffee meeting  was Escambia Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore, who echoed the doctor's concerns as he reported our EMS units had administered more than 300 doses of NARCAN in just the first three months of this year to help prevent overdoses in patients treated in the field.  300 in 3 months!

So what is NARCAN and what can the average citizen do to help this overdose epidemic?    

NARCAN refers to the drug Naloxone.  This drug can quickly and safely revive a patient who is suffering an opiod overdose.  It is a nasal spray that anyone can administer to someone who is overdosing.  It will rapidly bring them out of and reverse their condition, it will save lives.

Get NARCAN and have it with you.  Do it.  Keep it in a desk drawer at work, in your car's glove comparment, at your house.  Get some, learn how to use it, and have it where you can get to it if you need to get to it.

The Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola, the only area clinic that has NARCAN to distribute to the general public for free,  reported in their April/May 2021 newsletter that they have, over the last year, distributed more than 1000 doses of NARCAN locally.  And they have received reports of at least 45 doses of this NARCAN having been used in Escambia County to prevent opioid overdose deaths!

Their effort to distribute NARCAN was established via a $100,000 grant that Health and Hope Clinic received in late 2019 from the philanthropic organization IMPACT 100 of the Pensacola Bay Area.  This grant from this group paid for training, an awareness campaign, and for associated costs incurred by this clinic with taking on this new role in the community.  Before the Health and Hope Clinic became an authorized distribution point for NARCAN in Pensacola--the nearest location available to the general public to get NARCAN was 100 miles away in Walton County! 

So if you are ready, willing, and able to help save a life---call Pensacola's Health and Hope Clinic at 850-479-4456 and find out how to get your NARCAN kit so you can help save a life!

About IMPACT 100 of the Pensacola Bay Area

About the Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola.

IMPACT 100 Gives Pensacola a Huge Win in the Fight to Prevent Opioid Overdose Deaths

Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola receives $106,000.00 to start a free distribution of NARCAN program locally

IMPACT 100 is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the Pensacola area.  This organization consists of over 1,100 women from our community who each give $1,000.00 yearly to a fund that in turn donates this entire amount to multiple worthwhile nonprofits in the area. They give back 100% of their membership dues to charitable groups that benefit the community--this year that total is more than $1 Million Dollars.

IMPACT 100 groups are found throughout the nation and in Australia and Canada--however Pensacola's chapter is the largest in the world!  This year IMPACT 100 of the Pensacola Bay Area awarded 11 grants of $106,000.00 each to 11 very worthwhile recipients in our community.  NorthEscambia.com  did a nice succinct rundown of who won what in this article.

One 2019 recipient in particular will start a program to save lives locally, from day one of implementation of this grant, with the distribution of NARCAN to members of our community that request this lifesaving drug.  In addition to distribution of this NARCAN spray (which can be administered to someone who has overdosed on an opioid--and works even if the person is not breathing)-the award recipient, Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola, will also begin a marketing and awareness campaign about NARCAN and how it can save lives.  Currently-there are faith-based health clinics around the state that are distributing this lifesaving drug--however before this program got funded Sunday the closest location where a citizen could get NARCAN spray for free was three counties away in Walton County!

With this grant award, the Health and Hope Clinic will bring this program where it is desperately needed--the greater Pensacola area.

Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola receives $106,000.00 to start a free distribution of NARCAN program locally

Escambia County has joined a growing number of municipalities and counties nationwide in suing the companies that profited from these opioids that have taken so many lives.  The largest of these companies has already sought bankruptcy protection.

Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of citizens overdose yearly nationwide.  Many by accident.  In 2017 alone in our 2-county area----more than 500,000 legal prescriptions for opioids were filled! These medications can be highly addictive within weeks for some users and sometimes, unfortunately, this leads to tragic consequences right here in our community.

Because when someone overdoses on these drugs, the breathing stops and permanent brain damage and/or death can occur within 6-7 minutes.

But this NARCAN spray, if sprayed into the nostrils of someone who has passed out, can bring them back from the overdose and save them.

The IMPACT of this grant is it will save lives locally---and that is a great thing!

Thanks IMPACT 100 and congratulations to the Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola!