This document describes the origin and expansion of Florida’s coordinated approach to recovery for individuals with substance use disorder.
This document describes the expansion of Florida’s Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Program, which was officially launched in 2022, modeled after programs in Palm Beach County, Clay County, and Ocala, Florida. This CORE Program aims to help people with substance use disorder (SUD) achieve recovery, and relies on a relatively new add-on to emergency medical services (EMS), called community paramedics. The document describes the setting and efforts of the original three programs, and how they have addressed the needs of their communities to address the ongoing opioid epidemic and increasing drug overdose cases. In addition to this introduction to Florida’s coordinated opioid response and CORE Program, the document includes links to additional resources about CORE, the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), the Center for Health and Justice (CHJ), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).