By Cheryl Elias, US Rural Health Network
Florida has made remarkable strides in addressing the opioid crisis under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, but there’s an opportunity to build on this success by expanding access to non-opioid pain management alternatives, particularly in our rural communities. While neighboring states like Tennessee and Georgia have implemented comprehensive policies for non-opioid alternatives, Florida can leverage its proven track record to become a national leader in this critical area.
The challenges facing rural Florida are particularly complex. Our communities deal with crime, accidents, and unemployment while struggling with scarce behavioral health services, long travel distances to care, and limited resources spread across vast geographic areas. The ripple effects touch every aspect of rural life, from our emergency rooms to our schools to our families.
What makes this crisis particularly devastating in rural areas is the unique set of barriers our communities face. Behavioral health and detoxification services are scarce, and those that exist often provide only limited services. Patients requiring treatment must travel hundreds of miles to access care, creating an impossible burden for families already struggling economically. The scale of this treatment gap is staggering 88.6 percent of Florida’s rural counties lack sufficient opioid treatment programs. This means that even when patients are ready to seek help, the help simply isn’t there.
Governor DeSantis has already demonstrated strong leadership in combating the opioid crisis through innovative programs like CORE (Coordinated Opioid Recovery) Network, which has expanded from 12 counties to 29 counties across Florida. The results speak for themselves: while nationwide statistics show that only 18.8% of adults with opioid addiction receive medication-assisted treatment, CORE has achieved an impressive 48.9% rate. CORE providers have responded to nearly 18,000 emergency calls, saving lives through naloxone administration.
These efforts have delivered measurable impact. Florida has seen 607 fewer EMS calls for overdoses—that’s a 3% drop since 2022. Most importantly, we’ve had 557 fewer overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023. That’s a 9% decrease, and those aren’t just statistics—those are families that didn’t lose someone they love. These achievements demonstrate that Florida knows how to implement effective, evidence-based solutions to complex healthcare challenges.
Now we have an unprecedented opportunity to break the cycle of addiction before it starts. The FDA just approved the first non-opioid treatment for serious pain earlier this year. And right here in Florida, University of Florida scientists are making breakthroughs in developing even safer alternatives to traditional pain medications. We’re not just keeping up—we’re leading the way.
This is Florida’s moment. Governor DeSantis can build on the CORE program’s success by prioritizing access to these non-opioid pain management alternatives, especially in rural and underserved communities. This represents a natural evolution of Florida’s proven approach: rather than just treating addiction after it occurs, we can prevent it by ensuring people have access to effective, non-addictive pain management from the beginning.
Think about it this way: we’ve proven we can help people who are already struggling with addiction. Now we have the tools to help people avoid that struggle altogether. This could include extending the CORE model to encompass prevention through non-opioid alternatives, improving insurance coverage for these treatments, and investing in rural healthcare infrastructure. That’s not just good healthcare policy—that’s smart prevention.
Governor DeSantis has already proven that Florida can lead the nation in innovative healthcare solutions. The CORE program’s success demonstrates what’s possible with evidence-based approaches and strong leadership. Our rural communities aren’t looking to be rescued; they’re looking for the same innovative solutions that have already proven successful in other parts of our state. The governor has the opportunity to build on his administration’s impressive track record and ensure that every Floridian, regardless of zip code, has access to the safest, most effective pain management available.
