The Florida Department of Children and Families recently recognized Okaloosa County as one of 10 counties statewide to receive a one-time $200,000 performance incentive for its work through the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Network.
- The award recognizes what officials described as exceptional efforts in building a coordinated system of care involving healthcare providers, behavioral health organizations, emergency medical services, hospitals, law enforcement, peer specialists, recovery community organizations and other community partners.
“Okaloosa County Community Paramedics, along with our community partners, have achieved incredible results with their efforts,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “This recognition is well-deserved and will go toward improving the lives of many other people in our community who suffer from addiction.”
Okaloosa County, in partnership with the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County, announced the formation of the CORE Network in 2024 using funds from opioid settlements.
Since then, the network helped expand detoxification services to 24/7 availability at Bridgeway Center Inc. and led to the creation of the Community Paramedicine Program and the Post Overdose Support Team, known as POST.
Since July 2024, those efforts have produced measurable results:
- 15,823 doses of Narcan distributed.
- 53% reduction in fatal overdoses.
- 729 contacts made by POST following an overdose.
- Of those contacts, 224 individuals enrolled in a treatment program.
The $200,000 in funding will be used to continue expanding and sustaining the network’s infrastructure, partnerships and coordinated system of care.
