TAMPA, Florida — An Opioid Summit taking place in Hillsborough County wrapped up Thursday afternoon attracting hundreds of speakers and experts from around the region.
It was the first in seven years and included a who’s who of state and local leaders, urgently trying to solve a deadly drug epidemic that has shown no signs of slowing.
“No one group in here is going to solve all of these problems,” Brad Herremans, CEO of Suncoast Community Health Centers said. “This is truly a community endeavor.”
Even those familiar with the issue say it was sobering, if not disheartening, as Hillsborough‘s medical examiner shared the statistics showing an exponential increase in fentanyl-related overdoses over the past two years.
“I mean, it’s gut-wrenching. And it’s here with us today,” Herremans said. “So now we can no longer stick her head in the sand. We’ve got to deal with this. Nobody’s going to do it for us. We are the ones who live here. We are the ones who work here. And it’s up to us to correct this."
Tasked with finding solutions, representatives from healthcare, treatment groups and law enforcement shared ideas and perspectives.
A common theme was discussion about using money from recent settlements with major drugstore chains to launch a public awareness campaign and expand treatment facilities.
“If we don’t come out of here with some tangible things, put some things in place, then this is just a waste of time. Nobody really wants that," Herremans said.
Thomas Herold, once incarcerated for peddling drugs, now works to help people confront their addiction and the underlying causes.
“The hopelessness in our communities,” Herold said. “The stress, the pressure on the impoverished community. The homelessness that is leading to addiction.”
Some say they’d also like to see more room made for smaller groups with new and innovative perspectives.
Angie Hatfield’s daughter Brianna died of an accidental overdose at 28.
"I don’t come with a Ph.D. I don’t come with that," Hatfield said. "I come with that lived experience that so many of us do, and we don’t, we don’t have a seat at the table. When it comes to making decisions, we don’t."
While several of those present at the summit collaborate on a fairly regular basis, having this many people brainstorming in the same place at the same time has been rare – occurring every few years.
But given the urgency, there was also discussion of having the opioid summit annually.