Evaluation of Manatee County's Opioid Epidemic
By: Austen Shearer
“Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many others” (https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids). In my opinion opioids can be a great God sent thing, on the other hand they can be a demon in disguise. Opioids are mainly to block pain and can help people get back to normal and help with day to day life. Opioids aren’t only helpful but they can be very addictive and deadly if used wrongly. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how bad the recent years have been for Manatee County and what they have done to combat it and the progress they have made. I will also show insight on what the county is expecting and what has been done.
In recent years Manatee County has seen death and destruction caused from the misuse of Opioids. In 2015 there were 780 over doses and 84 deaths just in 2016 it managed to reach 1287 overdoses and 123 deaths. In 2017 they had 986 overdoses and 97 deaths although, in 2018 it had a decrease from 2016 to 2018 of 73% with 362 overdoses and only 33 deaths. The reason for the decrease in everything is because Manatee County has been on there “A” game with installing prescription drug boxes, Naloxone and a new sting called “Operation Hot Box”. These are a great way of showing that they are getting it under control. In my opinion this has been a significant decrease over the whole board and should be continued and backed by everyone.
The prescription drop boxes have been a great way to not only get unwanted or unused prescription drugs off of the streets, it is also a great way for the people of Manatee County to help do there parts as a community to lend a helping hand. This is one of the main reasons why the number of deaths and overdoses have come down in my opinion. In 2014 they were able to collect 1,108.79lbs of prescriptions and the most was collected in 2017 with 1369.83lbs. This is just one of the better examples of how these boxes are helping push the community do their part in becoming better as a whole. The drop boxes are kept locked at all locations utilizing a two-point securing system to ensure the integrity of the medication once it has been submitted for disposal. I received the chart from the Captain of the Narcotics Department at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. These boxes are at every Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Naloxone has been another major contributor to the decrease. Naloxone is an overdose narcotic reverser which has been proven to help reverse the effects of opioids and help with overdoses in emergency situations. This is the same drug Paramedics in ambulances are trained with and use these to help with overdoses. Since 2017 the Manatee County Sheriff's office has used Naloxone 56 times with 50 successful reversals. This fast-acting drug works through the blood stream and can take full effect of reversal in 2-5 min. With that being said I believe that all deputies should be equipped with this and should be trained for emergencies. This could mean the difference in life or death for some people and having saved 50 people already I think that it can and will help more. I recieved an Overdose Chart I received while I was at the Manatee County Sherriff's Office conducting an interview with the Captain of the Narcotics Department Todd M. Shear. I believe that officers carrying and using Naloxone has helped bring these numbers down to double digits instead of triple digits.
Lastly, “Operation Hot Batch” is a sting operation set up by the Manatee County Sherriff’s Office and works hand in hand with Federal Agents and the U.S. Attorney's Office. The reason they work with Federal Agents is to ensure that all the cases are done in accordance to the Federal Guidelines. This operations objective is to arrest the dealers and not the users. So far 50+ drug dealers have been arrested and federally prosecuted. In my opinion this operation is vital for combatting and arresting the individuals who are doing the most damage to the county. I believe that this has been a main key in having these numbers drop. If they are able to “cut the head off of the snake” and stop the drugs from even coming in to the county then they will have a better chance at cleaning up the county.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Department office and the community has been striding to rid the county of unwanted drugs and find the most effective ways to bring the people who deserve to be prosecuted to justice. These are just some of the main efforts they have perused in combatting the once overwhelming Opioid problem that the county has fallen victim to in most recent years. In the above paper I feel these are very impressive numbers and it has been proven they have done a great job at reversing the epidemic. I believe that if the community and officers keep up the determination and the persistence they have been showing the county could once again become a beautiful and great county for all to enjoy.
Works Cited
Bradenton Herold. Narcotics will be tougher to get in these Manatee emergency rooms. Bradenton FL: by Hannah Morse, February 14, 2018 Bradenton Herold. Bradenton is opioid overdose capital of Florida. And still no one knows why. Bradenton FL: Jessica De Leon, December 19, 2016. Drug Free Manatee Drug Free Manatee is a substance abuse prevention coalition promoting safety, health and wellness in Manatee County.
Hcc Database "Rep. Buchanan Anti-Drug Plan Endorsed by Manatee County." Bradenton FL: Targeted News Service, 31 May 2018.
Manatee County Captain of Narcotics Division Bradenton FL: Todd Michael Shear,
February 10, 2019.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Brief description of Opioids NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®
Operartion Hot Batch Drug busts have brought down overdoses and deaths in Manatee County, cops say Bradenton FL: Jessica De Leon. December 19, 2017.
By: Austen Shearer
“Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, and many others” (https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids). In my opinion opioids can be a great God sent thing, on the other hand they can be a demon in disguise. Opioids are mainly to block pain and can help people get back to normal and help with day to day life. Opioids aren’t only helpful but they can be very addictive and deadly if used wrongly. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how bad the recent years have been for Manatee County and what they have done to combat it and the progress they have made. I will also show insight on what the county is expecting and what has been done.
In recent years Manatee County has seen death and destruction caused from the misuse of Opioids. In 2015 there were 780 over doses and 84 deaths just in 2016 it managed to reach 1287 overdoses and 123 deaths. In 2017 they had 986 overdoses and 97 deaths although, in 2018 it had a decrease from 2016 to 2018 of 73% with 362 overdoses and only 33 deaths. The reason for the decrease in everything is because Manatee County has been on there “A” game with installing prescription drug boxes, Naloxone and a new sting called “Operation Hot Box”. These are a great way of showing that they are getting it under control. In my opinion this has been a significant decrease over the whole board and should be continued and backed by everyone.
The prescription drop boxes have been a great way to not only get unwanted or unused prescription drugs off of the streets, it is also a great way for the people of Manatee County to help do there parts as a community to lend a helping hand. This is one of the main reasons why the number of deaths and overdoses have come down in my opinion. In 2014 they were able to collect 1,108.79lbs of prescriptions and the most was collected in 2017 with 1369.83lbs. This is just one of the better examples of how these boxes are helping push the community do their part in becoming better as a whole. The drop boxes are kept locked at all locations utilizing a two-point securing system to ensure the integrity of the medication once it has been submitted for disposal. I received the chart from the Captain of the Narcotics Department at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. These boxes are at every Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Naloxone has been another major contributor to the decrease. Naloxone is an overdose narcotic reverser which has been proven to help reverse the effects of opioids and help with overdoses in emergency situations. This is the same drug Paramedics in ambulances are trained with and use these to help with overdoses. Since 2017 the Manatee County Sheriff's office has used Naloxone 56 times with 50 successful reversals. This fast-acting drug works through the blood stream and can take full effect of reversal in 2-5 min. With that being said I believe that all deputies should be equipped with this and should be trained for emergencies. This could mean the difference in life or death for some people and having saved 50 people already I think that it can and will help more. I recieved an Overdose Chart I received while I was at the Manatee County Sherriff's Office conducting an interview with the Captain of the Narcotics Department Todd M. Shear. I believe that officers carrying and using Naloxone has helped bring these numbers down to double digits instead of triple digits.
Lastly, “Operation Hot Batch” is a sting operation set up by the Manatee County Sherriff’s Office and works hand in hand with Federal Agents and the U.S. Attorney's Office. The reason they work with Federal Agents is to ensure that all the cases are done in accordance to the Federal Guidelines. This operations objective is to arrest the dealers and not the users. So far 50+ drug dealers have been arrested and federally prosecuted. In my opinion this operation is vital for combatting and arresting the individuals who are doing the most damage to the county. I believe that this has been a main key in having these numbers drop. If they are able to “cut the head off of the snake” and stop the drugs from even coming in to the county then they will have a better chance at cleaning up the county.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Department office and the community has been striding to rid the county of unwanted drugs and find the most effective ways to bring the people who deserve to be prosecuted to justice. These are just some of the main efforts they have perused in combatting the once overwhelming Opioid problem that the county has fallen victim to in most recent years. In the above paper I feel these are very impressive numbers and it has been proven they have done a great job at reversing the epidemic. I believe that if the community and officers keep up the determination and the persistence they have been showing the county could once again become a beautiful and great county for all to enjoy.
Works Cited
Bradenton Herold. Narcotics will be tougher to get in these Manatee emergency rooms. Bradenton FL: by Hannah Morse, February 14, 2018 Bradenton Herold. Bradenton is opioid overdose capital of Florida. And still no one knows why. Bradenton FL: Jessica De Leon, December 19, 2016. Drug Free Manatee Drug Free Manatee is a substance abuse prevention coalition promoting safety, health and wellness in Manatee County.
Hcc Database "Rep. Buchanan Anti-Drug Plan Endorsed by Manatee County." Bradenton FL: Targeted News Service, 31 May 2018.
Manatee County Captain of Narcotics Division Bradenton FL: Todd Michael Shear,
February 10, 2019.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Brief description of Opioids NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®
Operartion Hot Batch Drug busts have brought down overdoses and deaths in Manatee County, cops say Bradenton FL: Jessica De Leon. December 19, 2017.