Despite funding loss, overdose nonprofit remains optimistic

Florida Harm Reduction Collective (FHRC), a St. Petersburg-based nonprofit, has been providing free Naloxone kits through mail distribution to individuals around Florida since 2022. 

Naloxone (also known under the brand name Narcan), typically a nasal spray, is a medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses. 

Between 400 to 600 kits are delivered every month on average. 

Every kit has four doses of Naloxone as well as literature about opioid overdose prevention, addiction treatments and local resources. The state provides the medication for free to organizations who distribute it. 

Founded in 2019, FHRC partnered with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) to receive funding for its services in 2023. It received approximately $250,000 per year through DCF’s State Opioid Response Project grant. This covered shipping, organization salaries and other costs. 

Last October, the DCF suddenly stopped funding the St. Pete’s nonprofit’s distribution program. This has left Tim Santamour, FHRC executive director, with some questions, starting with why?. 

“We’re not sure. They didn’t give us a reason,” he said. “We do know that on a national and state level, there has been some, I’ll call it, the political winds have changed a little bit and there’s not necessarily the same support of programs that are harm reduction-based, at least in name.” 

Even if there has been a decrease in government support, FHRC has made an impact statewide. More than 490 reversals have been reported. Nearly 38,000 kits have been delivered since the organization started its mail distribution. 

In Pinellas County alone, Florida Harm Reduction Collective’s work has been essential. 

According to the Pinellas County Opioid Task Force, the county has witnessed a 105% increase in opioid-related deaths from 238 deaths in 2018 to 489 deaths in 2021. 

Choosing mail distribution was critical to the organization’s mission, Santamour said. 

It has given more people access to the life-saving medication while making its delivery more discreet for those who wanted to keep their addiction private. 

While Naloxone is available for free at hundreds of pickup sites around the state through the DCF’s iSave Florida program, many individuals do not have transportation to pick up the medication, Santamour explained.   

Before collaborating with the DCF, the nonprofit began to distribute Naloxone to individuals through a partnership with NEXT Distro, an online harm reduction service based in New York. It still continues this partnership. 

The DCF chose to work with FHRC partly because it had previous experience with mail-based distribution. 

Since its funding was cut, FHRC has been paying all costs (except for the medication itself) out of pocket. It had to lay off two staff members who oversaw its distribution program, and now relies heavily on volunteers, he added. 

The nonprofit’s team is looking for other funding options to stay afloat, and Santamour hopes the DCF reconsiders. 

“We’ll continue to fund this as long as we can,” Santamour explained. “Folks should still know that they can visit our website. We’re still mailing Naloxone out.” 

To learn more about FHRC’s  mission and services, visit flhrc.org