Pinellas County Opioid Task Force

Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, Available 24 hrs/day

The Pinellas County Opioid Task Force is a collaboration of community partners that started in June 2017 in response to the sharp increase in opioid-related drug abuse and deaths in the county. The purpose of the task force is to develop a strategic plan that efficiently guides community members and resources in order to confront the opioid epidemic. The issue is a pressing matter as more than one person dies every 14 hours from a opioid-related overdose in our county. A recent community health assessment conducted by DOH-Pinellas identified ‘addiction’ as a top health problem of concern and ‘alcohol and drug abuse’ as the leading behavior of concern within Pinellas County. This problem affects every demographic of every community across the county.

Participants recruited for the task force were individuals from key organizations and the community that have a vested interest in the reduction of opioid misuse in the county. This includes, but is not limited to, community stakeholders, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, law enforcement and elected officials within Pinellas County.