DUNEDIN, Fla. — Right now, a non-profit that combats drug addiction in Pinellas and Pasco counties is pulling in dozens of community partners to keep Tampa Bay locals and visitors safe this spring break.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, now through April, the team at the Recovery Epicenter Foundation is distributing Narcan, an opioid reversal medication, to businesses across Tampa Bay for free.
"We are going to liquor stores, smoke shops, bars, hotels, restaurants. Lately, we've been focused on the beach because of spring break. We know that overdose spikes do happen on the beach around spring break," Andy Francis, a peer outreach specialist at the Recovery Epicenter Foundation, explained.
In recent weeks, the Recovery Epicenter Foundation has distributed hundreds of Narcan doses to businesses across Pinellas and Pasco counties, including "Sandpiper" in Dunedin.
"Anything we can do to stay safe," said Sandpiper owner David Ufer. "It feels like just something to be ready, just in case."
Andy Francis said their work has already paid off.
Francis said, "I've already, distributed Narcan to locations that have used doses that we've given them in the past to stop an overdose and save a life."
With 62,000 Floridians dying by opioid overdoses in 2022, a crisis driven by illicit fentanyl, the Recovery Epicenter Foundation said this teamwork is crucial.
"If somebody were to have a worst-case happen, you can have it here and save a life," Francis said.
For more information on the Recovery Epicenter Foundation, click here.