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Florida rolling out new program to help get people addicted to opioids back in the workforce

Jacksonville, FL — During a roundtable discussion Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state will be rolling out a new program designed to connect people impacted by opioid abuse or addiction, as well as other substance abuses, find the resources they need to recover and find a job. DeSantis says they received a $5 million grant from the federal government that will create the program called Support to Communities: Fostering Opioid Recovery through Workforce Development. He says Florida is one of a handful of states that received a grant for this pilot program.

“We think that we will put it to good use.” DeSantis says.

The governor says the coronavirus pandemic has compounded efforts to curb the opioid epidemic in the state.

“We have a lot of work to do with the overdoses up 62% over the last six months compared to last year.” DeSantis says.

He says Tuesday’s announcement is just one step in alleviating the problem of the rise in opioid overdoses.

You can read more about the new program by clicking here.


Steven Ponson

Steven Ponson, News 104.5 WOKV

Steven Ponson is the Co-Anchor of Jacksonville's Morning News. He has been with Cox Media Group since the summer of 2015, and with WOKV since mid-2017.

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