A Call to Action: Preventing Opioid and Substance Abuse in South Florida Youth

Julie A Jacko; Katherine P Cohen; Cathaerina Appadoo; Arkene S Levy; Timothy F Page; Michael J Parker; Solina Pierre-Gilles; François Sainfort

doi:10.36518/2689-0216.1304

A Call to Action: Preventing Opioid and Substance Abuse in South Florida Youth

HCA Healthc J Med. 2021 Apr 28;2(2):77-80. doi: 10.36518/2689-0216.1304. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Julie A Jacko^{1

2}, Katherine P Cohen¹, Cathaerina Appadoo¹, Arkene S Levy¹, Timothy F Page², Michael J Parker¹, Solina Pierre-Gilles¹, François Sainfort^{2

1}

Affiliations

¹ Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
² H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Abstract

Description The opioid crisis poses a substantial threat to youth throughout the nation. This crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, reversing some of the positive national trends in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Some risk factors for youth opioid use have been identified nationally. The South Florida tri-county region of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach is a culturally distinct region which may not follow national trends and likely has unique risk and protective factors. To address the concerning spike in youth opioid use in South Florida, a community coalition was formed to identify factors unique to South Florida and create a plan for early awareness and prevention.

Keywords: adolescent; epidemics; opiate overdose; opioid-related disorders; opioid-related disorders/epidemiology; opioid-related disorders/prevention and control; pandemics; risk factors; substance-related disorders.

Publication types

Editorial

Grants and funding

The authors thank and acknowledge the Florida Blue Foundation for the funding that makes this work possible (Grant Number 10080).