Overview

Florida’s State Opioid Response (SOR) Project is a federal grant administered through the Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida’s SOR project implements a comprehensive approach to addressing opioid and stimulant misuse, disorders, and overdoses. The populations of focus are uninsured and underinsured individuals who misuse stimulants (including cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulants) or opioids, and individuals diagnosed with an opioid or stimulant use disorder. The overarching goal of the project is to reduce numbers and rates of opioid-caused deaths. A major objective is to increase access to the most effective treatments for opioid and stimulant use disorders, including increased admissions to buprenorphine or methadone maintenance treatment.

The SOR-funded service array for opioid and stimulant misuse and disorders is comprehensive and covers the entire spectrum of care across primary prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support domains. Covered services include outreach, assessment, crisis support, intervention, medical services, day care, day treatment, case management, incidental expenses, in-home/on-site, outpatient (including intensive outpatient), recovery support, supported employment, supportive housing, and aftercare.

State Opioid Response Project Activities

SOR project activities include:

• Hospital bridge programs which initiate medication assisted treatment (MAT) services in the Emergency Department and link individuals to longer-term care through a community-based network MAT service provider, will be maintained and expanded.
• Naloxone nasal spray distribution and associated overdose recognition and response training will increase through a Naloxone Saturation Plan implemented by the Department’s Overdose Prevention Program (OPP).
• Evidence-based prevention programs to prevent opioid and stimulant misuse among young people. SOR funds are used to implement programs such as Life Skills Training and multifaceted media campaigns, among others.
• Recovery support services include increased access to recovery housing, with a goal to establish 44 additional Oxford Houses per year.
• Recovery Community Organizations. SOR funds are used to support existing, new, and emerging through training and technical assistance.
• Deployment of Recovery Quality Improvement Specialists to conduct quality assurance reviews around recovery-oriented practices and manage activities related to the development of recovery-oriented systems of care.
• Behavioral Health Consultants use their clinical expertise to collaborate with child protective investigators and dependency case managers to build knowledge within front line staff for identifying substance use disorders, improving engagement with families, and improving access to treatment.
• Mobile and telemedicine-based low-barrier buprenorphine clinic program development training/TA provided through a partnership with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
• Expansion of the MAT Prescriber Peer Mentoring Project, which uses expert physician mentors to advise and guide prescribers through both formal instructional sessions and real-time consultations.
• Contracted behavioral health services and recovery supports. SOR funds are allocated to each Region in the State to contract for behavioral health services and recovery supports through regional systems of care or Managing Entities (opens in a new window) .

Florida's State Opioid Response Project Contacts

Crystal Lilly, MS
Project Director
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Florida Department of Children and Families
2415 North Monroe Street, Suite 400
Tallahassee, FL 32303-4190
crystal.lilly@myflfamilies.com

Mary Jo Hatala Sellers, MA, FCCM
Project Coordinator
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Florida Department of Children and Families
2415 North Monroe Street, Suite 400
Tallahassee, FL 32303-4190
mary.hatala@myflfamilies.com

Priscilla Gillis
Data Coordinator
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Florida Department of Children and Families
2415 North Monroe Street, Suite 400
Tallahassee, FL 32303-4190
priscilla.gillis@myflfamilies.com