Populations at Highest Risk of Overdose to Receive Opioid Reversal Medication Naloxone
July 27 2021 – Thanks to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Hanley Foundation’s Hendry, Okeechobee and Glades Opioid Consortium (HOGOC), more than 3,000 overdose rescue kits have been assembled to be made available to every incarcerated person in Hendry, Okeechobee and Glades counties for the next three years.
Each overdose kit contains two opioid reversal Naloxone autoinjectors, voice instructions given via the Evzio autoinjector, one Naloxone autoinjector trainer, one emergency card in Spanish and Haitian Creole and an educational brochure.
LaQueda Lewis, Maddox Max, Emma Bycraft, Martha Parker, Liam Lipham, Kathy Grace, Johnkeria Kinglocke, Michelle Duret, Angelica Paz
“Our Foundation serves more than 25 counties across Florida and is the largest provider of prevention services in the state,” said Ryan Wertepny, Chief Program Officer for Hanley Foundation. “These overdose rescue kits will reach one of the populations at highest risk of an overdose in Hendry, Okeechobee and Glades counties. With the help of the $1 million grant we received from HRSA last fall, we will continue to use the funds over the next three years to focus on providing overdose prevention and education, developing a resource directory for services, utilizing peer support specialists in safety and prevention training, increasing naloxone distribution, expanding service access via telehealth and establishing recovery clubhouses for support.”
The HOGOC is comprised of community leaders from law enforcement, county governments, education, healthcare, faith-based organizations and other providers. Participation is free and open to all who reside in or work with the residents of Hendry, Okeechobee and Glades counties. According to the grant guidelines, HRSA has charged the group with developing and implementing solutions grounded in evidence-based or promising practice models which can be tailored to each community’s unique needs.
To date, HOGOC partners include Beyond Barriers, Inc.; City of Okeechobee; Drug Free Hendry, Everglades AHEC, Inc.; Florida Department of Health Hendry and Glades, Florida Department of Health Okeechobee, Hanley Foundation, Health Planning Council of Southwest Florida; Hendry County Board of Commissioners; Hendry County School District; Hendry County Sheriff’s Office; Hibiscus Children’s Center; Lake Okeechobee Rural Health Network; Narcotics Anonymous of Okeechobee; New Horizons of the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee; 19th Circuit Court; Okechobee County School District; Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office; Our Village of Okeechobee; SEDNET; Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network; Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council; Tobacco Free Hendry; 20th Circuit Court; United Way Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee; U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration and WellFlorida Council, Inc.
Hanley Foundation envisions a world free of addiction, leading the way as the largest provider of educational programs that prevent underage drinking in the State of Florida. In addition to offering treatment scholarships to those in need and facilitating trainings to identify the signs of substance misuse, the Foundation works to reduce stigma and change policy through its advocacy efforts. The Foundation’s mission is to eliminate addiction through prevention, advocacy, and recovery support.
For more information, please reach Ryan Wertepny at 561.268.2351 or Ryan@HanleyFoundation.org. For general inquiries about Hanley Foundation, visit www.HanleyFoundation.org.
