PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Safety measures are being taken to help curb opioid addiction.

What You Need To Know

  • Pasco County's Opioid Task Force was formed in August 2021 as a way to battle the opioid epidemic

  • The task force began accepting applications for opioid treatment, prevention and recovery funding with more than $8 million in funds available

  • In the last three years, there have been a little more than 3,400 suspected opioid overdoses in Pasco County

It’s through Pasco County’s Opioid Task Force.

Formed in August 2021, the task force began as a way to battle the opioid epidemic. Today, Pasco County’s unit has 12 members devoted to that fight.

As a way to mitigate opioid use, the task force began accepting applications for its opioid treatment, prevention and recovery funding. More than $8 million in funds is available, going toward substance use disorder services in the community.

“Overdoses are preventable and we can give people a second chance if they have the resources necessary to come back to society and be a part of our community,” says Paula Baracaldo, Director of Support Services.

Applications for that funding closed on July 14, but that does not mean the work — or the fight — against opioid use stopped. It’s a duty that requires some pretty passionate fighters.

At the Department of Public Services, Nicole O’Neill goes about an ordinary day of work to fight opioid addiction.

“Trying to identify the gaps in the system,” says O’Neill, a liaison to the Opioid Task Force. “We have also integrated the core program with our EMS and Department of Health. It’s such an epidemic all across the United States, especially here in Pasco County.”

O’Neill began her journey with the task force two years ago, but it’s a passion of hers that started much earlier than that.

“It’s just something dear to my heart that, to be a part of, hopefully putting an end to this epidemic just means a lot to me,” she said.

In 2021, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported 297 overdose deaths in Pasco County. In the last three years, there have been a little more than 3,400 suspected overdoses.

“By identifying gaps in the system and just providing these critical services to really just prevent overdoses,” said O’Neill. “By preventing overdoses, we can provide them with treatment and save lives.”

There are resources, she said, that many who are suffering from addiction may not know about, such as free Narcan thru the Department of Health. The nasal spray has been an effective method for reversing opioid overdose.

“In the recovery community, there’s people you can reach out to directly who can help guide you to the right service that you might need,” O’Neill said. “One person might need this service and another might need something completely different because it’s not a one-solution-fits-all.”

It’s this personal connection that drives O’Neill to keep working until the epidemic is no more.

“I hope that down the road we can look back and say we did everything that we could and took these funds and dispersed them into the community to support and save lives,” she said.

Something, O’Neill said, is worth fighting for.