Escambia EMS CORE Program Marks 200th Opioid Recovery Patient

December 20, 2024

Escambia County EMS has reach a milestone in in its Coordinated Opioid Recovery Effort program. The CORE program has successfully assisted its 200th patient in its mission to combat the opioid crisis and provide comprehensive care to individuals battling opioid addiction.

CORE is a state-funded addiction recovery program that expanded to Escambia County in late 2022, with the county accepting its first CORE patient in February 2023.

Since its inception, the CORE program has worked to offer personalized, non-judgmental support to individuals suffering from opioid use disorder. This program focuses on providing immediate medical care, counseling, and long-term recovery support to help patients through the recovery process.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the 200th patient milestone, which represents the dedication and compassion of our EMS team and the resilience of the individuals we serve,” said Joey Kerman, Supervisor of Escambia County EMS CORE program. “This accomplishment highlights the success of our Coordinated Opioid Recovery Effort, and we are committed to continuing this vital work to ensure that those struggling with addiction receive the support they need to reclaim their lives.”

The CORE program combines EMS response with community resources, including addiction counseling, mental health support, and recovery services, to give patients the tools and services they need to overcome addiction. By intervening at critical moments and connecting individuals with resources, CORE aims to help to break the cycle of addiction and offers a pathway to recovery.

“I’m incredibly proud of our CORE team for reaching this milestone and continuing to help so many individuals in our community who are struggling with opioid addiction,” Escambia County EMS Chief Chris Watts said. “The opioid crisis is impacting our community and many others across the nation, but through this program, lives are truly being changed for the better in Escambia County.”

The CORE program is made possible by community partnerships including Community Health Northwest Florida and Lakeview Center.

“We believe in the power of community, and CORE is not just about emergency response, but also about providing long-term care and support,” Kerman said. “This milestone of 200 patients helped reflects the collective efforts of our EMS team, local partners, and the community as a whole.”

For more information about the CORE program, please MyEscambia.com/CORE, or contact CORE at (850) 477-HELP or (850) 377-4965.

Comments





Have a comment on this story?

We welcome your comments on this story, but there are some rules to follow::

(1) Be Nice. No comments that slander another, no racism, no sexism, no personal attacks.

(2) No Harrassing Comments. If someone says something bad about you, don't respond. That's childish.

(3) No Libel. That's saying something is not true about someone. Don't do it.

(4) Keep it clean. Nothing vulgar, obscene or sexually related. No profanity or obvious substitutions. Period.

(5) NorthEscambia.com reserves the right to remove any comments that violate our rules or we think to be inappropriate. We are not responsible for what is posted. Comments may not appear right away until they are approved by a moderator.

(6) Limit your comments to the subject in this story only, and limit comments to 300 words or less. Do not post copyrighted material. Comments will not be added to stories that are over 30 days old.

(7) No posts may advertise a commercial business, political candidate or political group, or link to another commercial web site or political site of any kind.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP 

  NEfb