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Opioid abatement board reports awards to treatment, outreach and law‑enforcement programs; members call for youth intake facility
Summary
Tommy White, a member of the Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board, told the council the fund has made multiple awards to treatment, housing and outreach programs and prioritized accountability; he said the county still lacks a youth intake treatment facility for minors.
Tommy White, a member of the Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board, told the Pensacola City Council on Feb. 9 that the board has moved from planning to paying for programs, awarding funds for law‑enforcement equipment, mobile outreach and a range of treatment and recovery providers.
White said the fund has received about $7.15 million since inception and that roughly $5.0 million has been awarded so far. He cited purchases for law enforcement (14 narcotics analyzers for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and handheld analyzers for the Pensacola Police Department) and two mobile units for corrections, and described awards that expand CORE EMS response capacity and fund new and expanded residential recovery beds.
White listed specific grantees and dollar awards from the most recent rounds, as reported to council: Bright Bridges (about $167,958) for a targeted MAT shelter program, EMS/CORE (about $270,533) for a mobile medic clinic, Community Health of Northwest Florida (about $500,000) to expand the CORE program, Hope Above Fear (about $235,286) for school‑linked prevention and recovery work, Lakeview Center (CAT program and OPUS services totaling roughly $549,284 across two grants), Waterfront Mission (about $338,878) to expand men's recovery housing, REAP (about $249,788) for transitional recovery housing and a street‑outreach group called Offensive to reach encampments.
Council members praised the work and asked for accountability reporting. White said grantees must complete agreements and submit reimbursable documentation; annualized reporting is being compiled and the board will present a formal annual report. Multiple speakers described direct outcomes: a graduating class at a recovery program and Waterfront Mission closing on properties to expand beds.
White also emphasized a gap he said remains: Pensacola lacks a youth intake and treatment facility for children and adolescents. "We need a youth intake and treatment facility here," White said, and he urged that proposals be considered to use available funding for that purpose.
The board expects to solicit the next round of applications in roughly June and will continue reporting to the council on outcomes and reimbursements. No council vote was taken on awards during the meeting; program agreements and reimbursements remain subject to the county's contracting and reporting processes.
