The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention

Panelists share insights on youth issues in Pasco

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Each summer, a panel of Pasco County teenagers share their perspectives on substance abuse and other problems facing youths, both in the community and in the school system.

Typically, the event is held at the community center at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park.

But, this time, panelists shared their insights again in a July 28 forum held virtually, in light of COVID-19.

The new format didn’t affect the substance: The panelists — who make up Safe Teens Against Drugs (STAND) — still got their points across.

Pasco County youth from Safe Teens Against Drugs (STAND) voiced their perspective on substance abuse, and other community and school issues, during a July 28 virtual meeting hosted by the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP). (File)

The forum was arranged by the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP). This the fifth year that STAND members addressed numerous community stakeholder groups.

They shared their views on various health and safety issues facing Pasco youths.

The group of youth leaders who make up STAND are working to end youth substance abuse in Pasco County by sharing their observations and knowledge with teachers, police, business owners and other community members.

Besides helping to build understanding, they also suggest solutions.

During the hour-long online discussion, STAND speakers warned that vaping, or the use of e-cigarettes, is a growing problem among youth countywide.

Anclote High School student Iker Dorta went so far as to label it “the biggest drug-related issue” in local high schools and middle schools.

Besides vaping nicotine, kids also vape THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana), and other illicit substances that can be smoked, he said.

Iker noted that vaping has become more popular among teens because it’s “easy to hide in your pocket and go to the bathroom and use it.”

Fellow STAND members agreed.

“Vaping is a huge problem in schools and such,” said Chasco Middle School student Alyssa Saldana. “I’ve had some of my friends tell me that one of their older friends offered them a vape, so it’s definitely a big problem that we need to start looking at more.”

Maddie Horn underscored the issue by recalling an incident during a Chasco Middle School pep rally when a student was caught vaping.

“I think it’s a very common thing that’s happening in all our schools,” said Horn, a rising freshman at Gulf High School.

Many teens get roped into substance use through peer pressure and they use substances to become popular, Horn said.

“It’s very much a popularity thing. So, like if one person does it and they become popular, everyone else will want to do it because they want that ‘fame’ in the school,” Horn said.

Besides vaping, marijuana use continues to be “a big issue,” said Land O’ Lakes High School student Jocelyn Meriwether.

“We have a lot of kids who think it’s a cool thing to do, and you have to, like, join the club of high school that way, through smoking weed in bathrooms and trying not to get caught.”

Greater focus needed on mental health
Using substances to become more popular is just one issue, panelists said.

Youths also turn to substances as a way to escape from dysfunctional home life, or to cope with inner feelings, they said.

They urged an increase in mental health services.

“Mental health is the key to everything right now,” Dorta said. “For a 15- or 16-year-old to go through trauma and leave it unchecked…really impales society as a whole, because that’s what’s going to make up our next generation as a whole, so the very next step before overcoming drugs and vaping, first, is taking hold of our minds.”

Panelists said that mental health must be taken more seriously by the Pasco County Schools —  from guidance counselors to teachers and administrators.

They advocate greater funding for staffing at schools to give students quick access to help, when they need to talk to someone about their problems.

As it stands now, instead of an open door policy, a student must make an appointment of sorts by placing a notecard in a counselor’s mailbox, Meriwether said.

Safe Teens Against Drugs (STAND) is a program facilitated by the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP). The group of youth leaders who make up STAND strive to end youth substance abuse in Pasco County by educating teachers, police, business owners and other community members by sharing their observations, and suggesting solutions. (Courtesy of Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention)

“They’ll get to you when they get to you,” she said.

That can be problematic, she added.

“Some kids can’t wait. They need to talk and if they don’t have someone to talk to they’re going to go to drugs and skip over using their resources.

“We have those situations where we want to talk to somebody about this, but no one’s available,” Meriwether said.

Piggybacking off that thought, Horn mentioned some counselors won’t take a particular student’s mental health issues seriously. Instead, they write it off as teen angst.

Other times, she said, counselors just focus on a student’s grades — instead of talking to them about what has been bothering them at school, or outside of it.

Horn put it all like this: “Let’s say you’re being bullied. Like, you’ll go in talking about that issue, but then they’ll change to subject to, ‘Oh, how are your grades doing?’”

That, she added, “doesn’t make the bullying situation or whatever your situation is, any better.

“I don’t think there are enough people in our schools to help us going through our issues. Like the teachers say they can help, but they can only help when it’s convenient for them,” Horn said.

COVID-19’s far-reaching impacts
The unintended consequences of COVID-19 on school-age youth was another deep talking point among panelists.

With a lack of school structure, boredom at home and few extracurricular or athletic activities available — because of the pandemic — panelists said they’re not surprised if fellow teens are currently experimenting with new substances, or abusing them more frequently than they did before the pandemic hit.

Meriwether observed: “Kids now are at home and don’t have a lot to lose, so they’re trying new things. Parents will have stuff at home that kids can just get into, because it’s not being locked up, because everyone’s home all day.”

Safer-at-home orders also have allowed youth to hide side effects that otherwise might’ve been caught if they were in school or school-related activities, she added.

Because of that and other reasons, panelists generally seemed in favor of having some sort of option to return to brick-and-mortar schools.

Horn summed it up like this: “I get a little depressed because I’m not able to go and see my friends, and school was something I enjoyed. It’s very isolating to do online school for such a long time when you don’t have groups to attend and you don’t make friends outside of online school, so like I found peace in going to school. Like, the fact that I can’t go to school is very sad, because I like going to school, I like being around other people and seeing new faces, and it’s just easier to learn.”

Dorta, meantime, expressed worry for youth who’ve had to handle online learning in the face of troubling home or family environments.

Traditional schooling usually offers “a dip from harsh reality” for those kids,” he said.

“You can’t push online school onto a lot of people, especially when those kids have trouble at home. …Imagine if you’re bringing school to their house, which they can’t even feel safe or concentrate in,” he said.

Dorta wants to see schools reopen. But, he added: “Seeing how (COVID-19) is going on, I don’t know how it’d work and I don’t really know if it’s the best option, but knowing a lot of kids that are struggling, at least have them refer to a source that they can go to outside of their house.”

Others, including Gulf Middle School’s Yahkaira Barbosa, expressed hesitation about returning to school at the moment.

“I’m dying to go back to school, but the way things are, it’s probably best not to because it’s going to be awhile until a vaccine comes out,” Barbosa said.

Safe Teens Against Drugs (STAND) is a program facilitated by the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP).
STAND members include Iker Dorta, Anclote High School; Alyssa Saldana, Chasco Middle School; Jocelyn Meriwether, Land O’ Lakes High School; Maddie Horn, Gulf High School; Jakob Horn, Bayonet Point Middle School; Billy Kritsotakis, Harry Schwettmann Education Center; Joel Meriwether, Sunlake High School; Jeromy Vaughn, Gulf Middle School; Austin Vaughn, Chasco Middle School; and Cheyenne Howard, of Dade City.

STAND’s mission is to:

  • Change youth perspectives of drugs
  • Reduce accessibility of drugs
  • Reduce marketing of drugs to young people
  • Create an environment where young people in recovery can thrive

To learn more about STAND, contact ">.

Published August 19, 2020

Panel sheds light on youth drug use in Pasco

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Speaking before a roomful of adults, a panel of teens offered their insights and observations about drug use among youths in Pasco County.

Marijuana use appears to be the biggest drug-related issue among youth across Pasco County, said the panelists, who are members of Safe Teens Against Drugs (STAND).

They said kids are increasingly turning to marijuana as a way to escape their personal problems.

From left: Maddie Horn, 12; Destiny Winter, 17; Jocelyn Meriwether, 14; Christos Loupis, 17; Austin Vaughan, 13; Ashley Dew, 19; Jeromy Vaughan, 14; and, Yahkaira Barbosa, 14. (Kevin Weiss)

“They’re not happy, they feel depressed, they have anxiety, so they smoke,” said panelist Destiny Winter. “They’re constantly trying to solve these problems by self-medicating instead of seeking help,” said the 17-year-old Anclote High student.

The group of youth leaders who make up STAND are determined to end youth substance abuse in Pasco County by educating teachers, police, business owners and other community members about their observations, and offering suggestions for solutions. The youth group is organized by the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP).

This is the fourth year that members of STAND have addressed members of numerous community stakeholder groups — in a forum arranged by ASAP — to talk about various health and safety issues facing Pasco youths.

Marijuana has become prevalent among teens because of peer pressure and relatively easy access to the substance, panelists told the audience.

And, the way it’s sensationalized in pop culture and social media hasn’t helped, either.

”It’s being influenced as cool, so they’re trying it out,” 14-year-old Land O’ Lakes High student Jocelyn Meriwether said.

“I believe it’s happening because of its popularization online by many celebrities, many singers or rappers that kids listen to,” added 14-year-old Gulf High student Jeromy Vaughan.

Moreover, the teens said the legalization of medical marijuana in Florida and throughout the country has contributed to the impression that it’s is OK to use, and a quick fix to cope with anxiety, boredom, sadness, depression and so on.

Winter pointed out that her peers aren’t adequately warned about marijuana’s side effects, such as withdrawals that can result from abusing the substance.

“They’re misled about how good it is for you,” said Winter, an Anclote varsity basketball player. “They’re told constantly about all these benefits from their peers and from social media, but they’re not told enough about what might not be good,” she said. “It’s just misinformation.”

The panelists also told those gathered at the Land O’ Lakes session that e-cigarettes and vaping, as well as vaping marijuana, are growing issues among teens.

They said it’s perceived as both cool to do and safer than smoking because it’s electronic and so prevalent in public spaces, such as parks and beaches.

Vaughan called vaping “the norm among this generation.”

“It’s become a very big problem,” the teen said. “Everyone believes it’s OK. Everyone does it. Everyone knows someone that does it, and still no one says anything about it.”

Added Winter: “I feel like many kids don’t understand the effects, they don’t understand we’re not quite sure yet what vaping is doing to our bodies and that there’s still research being done.”

Aside from drug use, 12-year-old Maddie Horn said youth violence is another issue in her community.

“A lot of kids are generally angry,” said Horn, “and it could come from things that are happening at home, and they don’t know how to cope with that.”

Besides talking about issues, STAND members offered some possible solutions.

They advocated for more mentorship programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, as well as more free afterschool programs, in general.

“I think partially just having safe spaces (would be good), places where kids can go after school that might not be home,” Winter said. “A lot of kids, especially in the area that we live in, don’t live in homes that are very supportive or leading them in the right direction.

“Where I live, the rec center is the only free place I can go to hang out and feel safe, really,” she said.

More robust education programs and awareness campaigns on the negative side effects of drug use might be another step in the right direction, panelists agreed.

“I remember last year we had three school assemblies and not a single one was about health or anything,” Vaughan said. “Just informing people about what happens when you do this kind of stuff and how your brain is affected, and how monumental it is compared to someone that doesn’t do it.”

Other STAND panelists present were: Ashley Dew, 19; Yahkaira Barbosa, 14; Christos Loupis, 17; Moriah Morales, 15; and, Austin Vaughan, 13.

STAND’s mission is to:

  • Change youth perspectives of drugs
  • Reduce accessibility of drugs
  • Reduce marketing of drugs to young people
  • Create an environment where young people in recovery can thrive

To learn more about STAND, contact .

Published July 10, 2019

Can human connection heal?

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Austin Eubanks remembered with clarity the tragic day that forever changed his life, and, ultimately claimed it.

His best friend was killed instantly in front of him.

Then Eubanks was shot twice, in the hand and knee.

Eubanks was just 17 years old when he experienced and survived the massacre inside the library of Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Columbine shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention’ in Wesley Chapel. He passed away just days later at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at age 37. (Courtesy of AustinEubanks.com)

“I remember seeing my hand and knowing that I had been shot, but I couldn’t feel it,” Eubanks recalled. “I couldn’t connect to the emotion of it, or the physical pain of it, because I wasn’t present in my own body.”

That traumatic experience as a teen, as a survivor in the Columbine school shooting, was the catalyst to Eubanks’ painful journey through addiction and eventually into long-term recovery.

Eubanks put it like this: “I will never be the person I was on the morning of April 20, 1999. That boy did not walk out of the library that day. He was altered, forever.”

Eubanks shared his personal story as the keynote speaker at the annual “Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” held May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The conference, hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health, is designed to increase public awareness and inspire action on mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Just a few days after the conference, the speaker was found dead from a suspected drug overdose at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was 37.

In a statement, his family said Eubanks “lost the battle with the very disease he fought so hard to help others face. Helping to build a community of support is what meant the most to Austin, and we plan to continue his work.”

ASAP also expressed its sympathy on Eubanks’ passing in a released statement: “We extend our thoughts and prayers to Austin’s family and friends. Although he has passed too early, his voice will echo in our memories and actions forever.”

Before his untimely death, Eubanks addressed a crowd of nearly 500 people, to discuss the intersection of trauma, mental illness and addiction.

‘An emotional robot’
Shortly after the school shooting, Eubanks was prescribed opiates, benzodiazepines and stimulants for his physical injuries. He soon found the drugs helped him in other ways.

“From the moment I was medicated, that emotion (from Columbine) completely shut off. It was like somebody turned off a faucet,” Eubanks explained.

Nearly 500 people attended the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,’ hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health. Columbine school shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the May 14 event, at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. (Kevin Weiss)

“I learned very quickly how to turn myself into an emotional robot, with the combination of those three substances. I thought that I had found the answer, I never had to feel anything. I was taught how to seek the fast road to relief.”

Years later, at the height of his addiction, Eubanks said he was using upwards of 400 milligrams of the painkiller OxyContin per day, plus a host of other recreational drugs.

His drug of choice, he admitted, was “just more.”

Emotional healing through human connection
After a decade more of undergoing a cycle of addiction and relapse, Eubanks said he finally received the help he needed, at a long-term treatment center in Denver that accepted him free of charge.

It’s there he found the prescription he needed most: authentic human connection.

The treatment center helped him navigate the stages of grief through meaningful, personal relationships with others with similar, lived experiences.

“With emotional pain, in order to heal it, you have to feel it. It is essential to recovery,” Eubanks said.

He added: “What is so essential for emotional healing for all of us, is relying on others from a place of vulnerability and authenticity and transparency.”

The environment also provided him with structure and accountability, too, he said.

Eubanks said, “I had to finally admit that I knew nothing, and I had to trust somebody else enough to believe that they did, and I did everything that they told me to for long enough to where it became a pattern.”

Eubanks explained that after Columbine he didn’t return to school for his senior year, instead relied on a private tutor from home in order to graduate. The decision isolated himself from others, leaving him to rely on substances to cope with his emotional pain.

“I withdrew from human connection entirely. If you can create a better petri dish for addiction, I don’t know what it is,” the speaker said.

“I missed out on a lot of the collaborative, connected healing that many of my classmates experienced in our senior year, because I withdrew from that community entirely.”

Prevention and rehabilitation reforms needed
Eubanks discussed his ideas to combat the nation’s addiction crisis, which he blamed partly on increased accessibility, acceptability and toxicity of various substances.

The speaker called for greater efforts in implementing more systems of prevention and rehabilitation to curtail the demand for drugs.

He challenged the medical community to do a better job of integrating physical health and mental health. He also challenged the education community to put more focus on nurturing emotional intelligence in early childhood education, to increase the ability to relate to other people.

Eubanks then called for greater accessibility to long-term treatment for those who cannot afford its services. He also said the criminal justice system needs to place more emphasis on rehabilitation programs, specifically, by providing inmates a therapeutic continuum of care and teaching them pro-social behaviors.

Said Eubanks, “Drugs are always going to exist. We cannot eradicate these issues by combating them on the supply side. We have to curtail the demand.”

In addition to Eubanks, the conference featured presentations from Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco; Gail Ryder, Baycare Health Systems vice president of behavioral health; and Roderick Cunningham, Drug Enforcement Agency outreach program manager.

There was also a series of breakout sessions that focused on substance abuse prevention and recovery efforts, among other topics.

Published May 29, 2019

Plenty on tap for Pasco ASAP in 2019

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As it continues its mission to reduce the overuse and misuse of illicit drugs and alcohol, the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention has witnessed progress during several areas during the past year.

During 2018, Pasco County:

  • Saw its drug poisoning death rate, or overdoses, register a slight decrease — for the first time since 2014
  • Reported lower figures of illicitly used prescription pain relievers among its high school student population
  • Saw a decline in alcohol usage among youth in the county
  • Registered dips in other alcohol-use indicators, such as underaged drinking and impaired driving

Chrissie Parris, interim director for the alliance, which is also known as ASAP, characterized those reports as “big wins” and “good signs” for the county during a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) interim coordinator Chrissie Parris (Courtesy of Chrissie Parris)

“The message seems to be getting out there,” Parris said, regarding the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

But, there continues to be much work to be done by ASAP — a coalition which seeks to address the underlying issues of addiction, and ways to address and prevent it in among youths and adults.

The opioid crisis will continue to be a priority area for ASAP in 2019, Parris said.

Reducing alcohol abuse will be a key issue, too.

Parris said ASAP has seen an increase in total deaths in related to alcohol overconsumption —despite the decline in alcohol usage in the youth population countywide.

Chronic liver disease also remains one of the top 10 causes of death in Pasco, she said.

“Alcohol is never off of the table,” Parris said. “It’s still the most prevalent drug that we see.”

Meanwhile, she said the organization will seek to address a drug that has popped up on its radar of late: methamphetamine.

More drug users have turned to meth as law enforcement and health organizations crack down on other substances, she added.

“A lot of it has to do with availability and accessibility,” Parris said, also noting that meth “creates a strong psychological dependence very quickly.”

Parris said ASAP is trying to find ways to interface with meth users in the county.

Parris put it this way: “We have a hard time finding out, ‘What’s the underlying cause there?’ and ‘Why are we still turning to meth?’ It seems to be more of a cultural thing in certain pockets of the county.”

Another “big priority” for ASAP this year is reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, Parris said.

Part of that involves increasing awareness regarding the need to recognize early signs and symptoms of possible mental illness, and helping those who are struggling to gain access to assistance.

The coalition also is working on several programming tracks with health care professionals, recovery community organizations and the faith-based community, to provide more awareness on available resources for substance abuse prevention and recovery.

There will also be several workshops and other general meetings throughout the year to engage youth, parents and other community members, Parris said.

“We’re trying to help everybody work better together, to fill in those gaps in services or pockets of need in our community.

“We’ll continue to build our action plans around drugs that we see trends with in Pasco County,” Parris said.

The alliance also plans to have its annual conference, “Strengthening Our Communities on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” on May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The event’s keynote speaker is Austin Eubanks, a Columbine survivor, who will discuss how he treated a lot of his emotional pain with opioids he was prescribed after being shot in the school shooting, and what communities can do for prevention, treatment, recovery and relapse prevention for substance abuse.

“It’s pretty powerful,” Parris said of Eubanks’ talk. “We’re really excited to have him on board.”

For more information on ASAP, visit PascoASAP.com, or call (727) 315-8658.

Published January 23, 2019

Seminar spotlights Pasco’s opioid epidemic, solutions

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When it comes to tackling the opioid crisis in Pasco County, the community needs all hands on deck.

That’s according to Monica Rousseau, coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP).

Rousseau was one of ASAP’s group of speakers for an opioid crisis seminar at the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel. The Sept. 18 event was part of the state college’s ongoing Community Awareness Series, open to the public, students, faculty and staff.

Monica Rousseau is coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP). She discussed the scope of the opioid crisis in Pasco County and some solutions for tackling the issue. (Kevin Weiss)

Rousseau, who’s worked for ASAP since 2014, underscored the scope of substance abuse locally.

Among Florida’s 67 counties, Pasco currently ranks fifth in the rate of substance abuse related overdose deaths, averaging 25 deaths per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control Wonder Data and County Health Rankings provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In 2017, the county ranked fourth in the state, but averaged fewer deaths, about 22 per 100,000.

Manatee County ranks first in the state in 2018, with 38 deaths per 100,000.

The figures, Rousseau explained, indicate other counties are getting worse in the fight against opioids, while Pasco remains about the same.

“We’re not getting better. We’re just kind of starting to press pause in Pasco County, whereas other counties are seeing a lot more deaths,” Rousseau said.

Multiple solutions needed
Rousseau attributes Pasco’s high ranking, in part, to its ‘pill mill’ epidemic from the early part of the decade.

“We’ve cut down on all the pill mills, but people with addiction are still dealing with it,” Rousseau said. “They cycle through treatment. It takes a few times for it to stick, but we just have a population that still is healing from that.”

In reducing substance abuse, Rousseau suggested the county needs to take a more comprehensive approach, focusing on the supply, demand and treatment sides of the issue, and “looking at this from a community perspective.”

Getting to the root cause of substance abuse is another task — understanding that addiction oftentimes is “an evolving disease of despair” driven by emotional suffering, as well as physical suffering, Rousseau said.

Helping those people get counseling may be one solution to fight the crisis, she said.

“We talk about the pain aspect until we’re blue in the face,” she said. What’s needed are conversations about how that person has post-traumatic stress disorder, or severe childhood trauma, or lost his job or his wife just left, Rousseau said.

Another speaker, New Port Richey’s Rachel Starostin, shared her personal story about battling opioid addiction.

She said she became a drug addict after she was in a car accident on U.S. 19 caused by a drunk driver.

A trauma nurse for Bayfront, Starostin was forced to give up her career because of ongoing physical problems related to the crash.

Aside from physical injuries, Starostin, too, had pent up emotional scars.

Her mother died when she was 16. Her father, a drug addict, was absent throughout her life.

Years later, Starostin came home to find her husband, who had died by suicide.

“I felt really bad on the inside. Everybody in my life that I really loved was gone,” she said.

Starsotin previously used work as a coping mechanism, but once her livelihood was taken away, she began using pain medication to fill the void.

Dependency affects all kinds of people
It began innocently. She took opiates before physical therapy sessions to manage legitimate feelings of pain and discomfort.

Over time, though, she progressively took more and more.

The medications removed her inhibitions.

“The reaction I had from it was not normal. All those bad feelings of, ‘I’m worthless. My life is over,’ they all went away,” she said.

Starostin said she was “completely controlled by opiates”— for more than 10 years.

While in jail, facing 25 years for drug trafficking, Starostin entered a 12-step recovery program.

She’s been clean for almost three years.

“I was just determined that I didn’t want to die,” she said, noting she came close to death several times.

“It was time to do something different. Nothing changes if nothing changes, and that hit me and I was like, ‘Ok, I need to change.’”

Today, Starostin is a member of ASAP’s recovery committee, which provides support for people affected by substance use disorders.

She uses her story to motivate others and to help them find their purpose in life.

Her advice to addicts: “No matter how many times you fall, you keep getting back up. It took me 20 times. I went through detox and stuff like that. No matter how far down the scale you’ve gone, you really can do it. You just have to keep it at.”

Starostin and Rousseau agreed there needs to be continual awareness regarding the negative stigma and negative perceptions associated with substance abuse and addiction.

“One of the No.1 reasons people don’t seek treatment is because of the stigma,” Rousseau said. “People don’t feel comfortable talking about their opioid issues or their drug issues, so they don’t know where to go.”

ASAP speakers also said more opportunities are needed to assist people in recovery to reintegrate back into society. There needs to be greater access to jobs, housing, health care and so on, they said.

They also pointed out that it can be especially difficult for those that have a criminal record for drug-related offenses, even after they’ve become clean.

ASAP recovery committee co-chair Kellie Walker, who also spoke during the seminar, put it this way: “There’s lot of things people in recovery need other than just getting sober and taking the substance away.

“What happens when somebody gets sober and they can’t find a job? They’re going to likely go back to some of those behaviors,” Walker said.

Published September 26, 2018

Pasco Schools seeks to address students’ mental health needs

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Pasco County Schools is searching for additional ways to better serve its students’ mental health needs.

As part of that effort, the school system brought together student services staff and community mental health providers on May 4 for the district’s first-ever Mental Health Symposium. The seminar’s aim was to raise awareness of students’ mental health, build capacity of staff to respond, and increase collaboration between schools and mental health providers.

The daylong event featured a panel discussion on mental health, plus a series of breakout sessions, which covered such topics as eating disorders, anxiety, school-based violence prevention, trauma reduction and supporting recovery, non-suicidal self-injury, connecting mental health services, and so on.

Pasco County Schools’ first annual Mental Health Symposium featured a panel discussion and breakout sessions concerning eating disorders, anxiety, school-based violence prevention, trauma reduction and supporting recovery, non-suicidal self-injury, and connecting mental health services. (Kevin Weiss)

About 280 student services staff — school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, school nurses and dropout prevention teachers — participated in a morning or afternoon session, said Dave Chamberlin, Pasco Schools student services supervisor.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning kicked off the event with a brief introduction, during which he underscored the necessity of the district to provide quality education and to meet students’ mental health needs.

“We have got to be singularly focused on meeting those social and emotional needs of our kids,” Browning said, “before they can even learn to do mathematics or science.”

The symposium, which coincided with Mental Health Awareness Month, was at the district’s offices. Planning for it began in September.

In the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 17 dead, Browning noted there’s been a renewed emphasis on mental health, and student and staff well-being.

Offering one possible solution of his own, Browning stated he’s a “huge proponent” of trauma-informed care, an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.

“We’ve got to get out and educate our teachers — training our teachers and school-based staff about trauma informed care,” the superintendent said.

That suggestion, among many others, was presented during the hour-long panel discussion featuring community mental health providers, a student, and a parent with experience interacting with the system of care.

Access, awareness and availability of mental health services seem to be ongoing barriers, panelists suggested.

Helping younger children
There’s a great need for more pediatric psychiatrists and pediatric bed space in the county, said Craig Leech, program manager for the Land O’ Lakes-based Morton Plant North Bay Hospital Recovery Center.

Leech explained the recovery facility is only able to utilize 20 of its 25 pediatric beds at a time, and there’s oftentimes a waiting list of several days for children to get the mental services and treatment. “At any given day, we are full and do not have bed space. We are the only pediatric receiving facility in Pasco County,” he said.

Another panelist, Doug Leonardo, senior vice president of Chrysalis Health, said more flexibility is needed in providing mental health services for children.

He advocates conducting school behavioral health screenings to flag potential mental health problems with students at a younger age.

“We need to do a better job at getting upstream of these issues. We have universal screenings in schools for hearing and speech…I don’t know why we would not want to do the same things for mental health issues,” he said.

Leonardo, who’s helped provide mental health and substance abuse in Pasco County and other areas for more than 20 years, also supports creating more community partnerships among schools, law enforcement and mental health professionals.

He emphasized the importance of encouraging parents to be unafraid to seek help for their children who may suffer from mental illness.

“We can treat the kids but, if we don’t have the parents engaged and bought in and helped, it doesn’t really work, so we really need that family system to be involved,” the health professional said.

While health experts described some of community resources available to youth, many students are unaware of what’s available to them, Anclote High senior Emily Leopardi said.

Leopardi overcame a broken home and dysfunctional family life, and is on track to graduate high school and attend Hillsborough Community College in the fall. Growing up, she was fortunate to receive counseling and assistance from Youth and Family Alternatives Inc., and Baycare Behavioral Health.

“I would like to see more support in the schools that focus on mental health, and resources for students like myself who’s family life is challenging. …Without the help of these providers, students like myself can fall through the cracks,” she said.

Other panelists, including moderator Monica Rousseau, said reducing the stigma associated to mental health problems must remain a focus.

Rousseau, coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), referenced a study that more Americans are starting to understand mental illness is very much a chronic illness, like any other physical illness; yet more and more people are associating mental illness with violent tendencies, she said.

“We have shootings, we have a lot of big news stories that are really skewing the way people view people with mental illness, so it’s really important to be stomping out that stigma,” Rousseau said.

Some issues related to children’s mental health services might soon be mitigated with the recent passing of Senate Bill 7026 (“Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act”).

Besides its various school safety mandates, the new law creates mental health assistance allocation for every school district in Florida.

It also requires school districts to deliver a plan focused on delivering evidence-based mental health treatment, assessment, diagnose, intervention services and so on.

For school districts like Pasco, it marks a “big sea change,” Leonardo said.

“We’re going to start asking school districts to do things that I think, historically, they haven’t focused on doing. It probably happens sporadically, but now it’s being mandated,” Leonardo said.

With a solid foundation and framework, and an influx of funds from the new law, Leonardo noted the district and county as a whole is “in a really good position to make some meaningful changes.”

Published May 9, 2018

Seeking answers in the opioid battle

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U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis wants all voices to be heard in the quest to combat the nation’s opioid crisis.

The congressman met with the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) on March 27 to discuss the issue and listen to reactions to proposed federal legislation related to the opioid crisis.

The public meeting, held at the community center at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, attracted dozens of people who are interested in the issue.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis recently met with the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP), to discuss and solicit feedback on federal bills related to the opioid crisis. The House Health Subcommittee has heard 26 bills as a starting point related to opioid legislation that will be rolled into one large bill to be passed out of the House by the end of May. (File)

It piggybacked off a similar ASAP meeting in August, where Bilirakis provided an update on federal efforts to combat opioid abuse.

So far, the House Health Subcommittee has heard 26 bills as a starting point related to opioid legislation that will be rolled into one large bill to be passed out of the House by the end of May.

The bipartisan bill, CARA 2.0 Act, builds on the original Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act by providing $4 billion in additional resources for opioid prevention and treatment.

The funding was earmarked as part of President Donald Trump’s $1.3 trillion long-term spending bill, which passed March 23.

Throughout the 90-minute session, ASAP members shared personal stories and presented ideas to help solve the opioid crisis.

Opioid overdoses accounted for more than 42,000 deaths in 2016, more than any previous year on record, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An estimated 40 percent of those deaths involved a prescription opioid, the agency says.

Members of ASAP, including Beth Piecora, advocated for additional peer support specialist programs. In this type of program, people who have significant personal experience with struggles pertaining to mental health, psychological trauma or substance abuse provide support to people who are currently struggling with those types of issues.

Piecora, a representative for Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, said federal dollars are needed to train and employ an increased number of those peer specialists.

Peers often can be instrumental in leading someone to pursue treatment, Piecora said.

She also suggested background check screenings be eased when hiring such specialists. “Some folks that have that lived experience sometimes have those certain things on their record,” she explained.

Others mentioned Narcan — a life-saving emergency opioid treatment — should become more readily available for addicts and their families.

The medication is the first and only FDA-approved nasal form of naloxone, which helps blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing.

Besides enhancing distribution efforts, ASAP members said Narcan should be subsidized for consumers, particularly those uninsured. Without a prescription, the medication can cost more than $130.

One speaker even suggested requiring doctors to provide Narcan as part of prescribed pain medications.

While grant programs are available to receive free Narcan through nonprofits, barriers still remain in getting quick, easy access, ASAP coordinator Monica Rousseau said.

“You can access Narcan for free, but it usually involves a lot of paperwork…and it’s kind of obscure. It’s also very difficult to get it in a moment when you have people struggling,” she said.

Crisis needs to be attacked on many fronts
Meanwhile, Pasco Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Art Rowand inquired about creating a policy to allow law enforcement to place addicts into treatment, without arrests.

The law enforcement officer said such a measure could help eliminate the cycle of drug abuse, and cut down on overdoses and deaths.

“Basically, the only thing we have to take care of the situation…is to arrest them,” Rowand said.

Some ASAP members stressed that Bilirakis and other policymakers continue to address comprehensive addiction issues, including alcoholism.

“Opioid is now the new kind of thing, and everybody’s aware of it, but I don’t want to leave out treatment for alcoholism,” said Dena Lynch, who spoke on behalf of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“It goes hand in hand, and there’s a lot of people using drugs that also drink, so I think you can’t disregard that as far as treatments. A lot of people in all walks of life have alcohol problems, and it’s really easy to focus on opioids.”

Other suggestions included:

  • Additional measures to help juveniles with addiction treatment
  • More impactful opioid and drug education in schools for younger-aged children
  • New educational opportunities for parents of drug addicts
  • Additional ‘sober living’ houses that also are affordable
  • An increased number of child and adolescent psychiatrists
  • Improved access for psychological services and treatment for the LGBTQ community
  • Mandatory needle exchanges
  • Additional faith community nursing programs

Bilirakis said he wants to schedule a discussion next month with a handful of stakeholders, to continue to brainstorm about possible legislation related to fighting addiction.

Addressing the audience, the congressman said, “We can get your voice heard up there and really get these things into law, but we’ve got to find out what works.”

He continued: “You can throw all the money in the world at something, but if you don’t do it right and it’s not effective, then it doesn’t do anybody any good.”

Published April 11, 2018

Spring cleaning: Don’t forget the medicine cabinet

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Gearing up for Spring usually involves a good sprucing up of our homes.

And, it’s a good time to clear out the bathroom medicine cabinet, too.

Many people accrue a collection of leftover drugs —as a result of quick-healing injuries or medications that are no longer needed as new ones have been prescribed in their place.

Most people don’t give their unwanted drugs a second thought, but there are sound reasons to rid the cabinet of medication clutter.

Here are a few of them:

  • Safeguarding children: A curious child could look through the cabinet and wonder why there is colorful “candy” in the bathroom, and may even want to sample a few pieces. This can lead to poisoning and even death.
  • Stopping drug abuse: Someone seeking a ‘high’ may check the cabinet for pain medications or other substances, assuming the owner will not miss pills from a forgotten container.
  • Sharing isn’t caring: Giving unneeded or unused pills to a friend or relative can be harmful, especially when the dosage is higher than intended or the medication has expired.

When disposing of your unwanted drugs, don’t flush them down the toilet because that can contaminate the water supply. Instead, drop them off at a drug-take-back program site. Many counties and municipalities have them, and the process is usually simple.

Each program is different, so consumers should find out whether the plan accepts both prescription and over-the-counter medications, and liquids or syringes.

Also, before disposing of any drugs, be sure to black out or remove all personal information.

In Pasco County, visit the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention at PascoASAP.com. In Hillsborough County, visit the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance at HCSO.tampa.fl.us, and search for “drug take-back.”

Published March 14, 2018

Legislative forum covers wide spectrum of issues

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Dozens of speakers signed up to draw attention to topics they think are important at Pasco County’s annual legislative delegation meeting.

The topics ranged from fracking to Medicaid; the opioid epidemic to immigration; medical marijuana to homelessness; and, scores of budget requests.

Some requests were for items vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott last year.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, for instance, asked legislators to renew his request for $4.3 million for the Thomas Varnadoe Forensic Center for Education and Research.

From left: State Sen. Tom Lee, Rep. Richard Corcoran, Rep. Danny Burgess, Sen. Wilton Simpson and Rep. Amber Mariano
attend the Pasco County legislative delegation’s annual meeting to hear from local constituents about issues they’d like lawmakers to address during the 2018 legislative session. (Kathy Steele)

The Adam Kennedy Forensics Field, also known as a “body farm,” opened in May on land next to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, off U.S. 41. The facility is the seventh of its type in the nation.

Construction money is needed for the indoor forensic center. The complex is planned jointly with the sheriff’s office, Pasco County, Pasco-Hernando State College, and the University of South Florida’s Institute for Forensics and Applied Science.

“It is a critical piece for us,” Nocco said.

The sheriff also noted that there already are international inquiries regarding training opportunities.

The city of Zephyrhills also had a big-ticket request. It’s asking for $3.25 million to help build the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center.

The planned tennis center includes eight soft courts, two hard courts and nine pickle ball courts.

The city of Zephyrhills already has hired Pennsylvania-based Tennis P.R.O. LLC to operate and manage the complex.

A pro shop, a multipurpose community room and two offices also are planned.

“It’s gaining a lot of momentum,” said Todd Vande Berg, the city’s planning director. “It will bring in players from around the world, and Zephyrhills really will be a destination in the sports arena.”

The complex is named for Vande Berg’s daughter, a tennis scholarship student at University of South Carolina, who died in a car accident.

The annual legislative delegation meeting is a ritual that gives lawmakers a chance to find out what is on the minds of their constituents for the coming legislative year.

This year’s session was on Nov. 27 at the Wesley Chapel Center for the Arts, at Wesley Chapel High School.

More than 60 people signed up, with each allotted three minutes to address the legislators, who were seated at a table on the arts center’s stage.

Rep. Danny Burgess, the delegation’s chairman; Rep. Amber Mariano; and Sen. Wilton Simpson attended the entire meeting. Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Richard Corcoran attended portions of the meeting. Sen. Jack Latvala was absent.

Afterward Burgess described the meeting as a fact-gathering session to help legislators deliberate on issues during the 2018 legislative session in Tallahassee.

“It’s important — with a state this big and statute books so voluminous —it’s impossible to know every issue,” Burgess said.

He also said people’s presence and participation are important.

“It’s a truly collaborative thing,” he said, noting, lawmakers will have more information “because people from our areas decided to take the time to come here.”

Along those lines, Debra Golinski asked lawmakers to provide funding for screening programs at Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation Inc.

She said about $750,000 is needed for a program to help hearing-impaired children, ages 3 to 6 years, “begin to listen and talk.”

Golinksi also asked legislators to support a bill to provide hearing aids for children.

Timothy Beard, president of Pasco-Hernando State College, said the college is expanding rapidly and needs about $3.7 million in additional funding for operations.

He said school enrollment has increased from about 1,800 three years ago to about 4,000 students now.

“The growth there has really been phenomenal. We really, really need the dollars,” Beard said.

Other agencies and nonprofits seeking state funds included the Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Inc., the Reach program with Pasco’s PACE Center for Girls, and the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, or ASAP.

Hot button political issues also came up.

James Brown, of the nonprofit Farmworkers Self Help, sought support for “DACA kids”, the children who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The federal program could be ended soon, leaving these children subject to deportation. They and their families harvested crops for years, Brown said.

“They did nothing more than work hard. We need to give these longtime families a place in the county. We’re not asking for budgetary concerns. We’re just asking for your compassion,” Brown said.

Several people also spoke on fracking, asking legislators to ban the practice in Florida.

Fracking is a process for pumping chemically treated high pressure water into a drilled pipeline to break through rock formations to tap into oil or natural gas reserves.

“Our message is simple,” said Brooke Errett, of Food & Water Watch. “Fracking doesn’t make sense.”

Legislators also got updates on initiatives under review at the federal level by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

His aide, Summer Robertson, told them that Bilirakis is seeking

a balanced approach toward addressing the opioid crisis.

He wants an approach that helps people with opioid addiction but still gives people “with legitimate pain” access to medications, Robertson said.

Published December 6, 2017

Funding and flexibility needed in substance abuse fight

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While President Donald Trump has declared opioid abuse to be a national emergency, local experts have urged U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis to remember that other substance abuse problems also remain to be a real concern in Pasco County.

Bilirakis paid a visit to the Land O’ Lakes Community Center on Aug. 22 seeking to hear from people on the front lines of tackling substance abuse problems.

His visit came immediately following the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention’s meeting.

Those gathered for Bilirakis’ session included health care and social service providers, people recovering from drug addictions, family members of addicts and others interested in the topic of substance abuse.

“I wanted to hear directly from you,” Bilirakis said. “The best ideas about how we can help will come from you. I’m here to listen and to take your feedback back to Washington with me.

The congressman said he expects Trump’s emergency declaration to result in more funding to address the opioid crisis. And, Bilirakis said, there’s no question action is needed.

“More people are dying each year from opioid overdose than from car accidents. The statistics are staggering and truly tragic,” said Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th Congressional district.

“This is something that needs to be attacked. It transcends political lines,”
Bilirakis added.

Then, he asked the crowd: “Where is the need in the community?”

Those attending had plenty to say.

They told Bilirakis about the waiting lists for public beds and services, and the empty beds at private providers.

They told him there were too many strings attached to state and federal funding.

They said people who need mental health care can’t get it, and that impedes the ability to help them in their recovery efforts.

They said doctors still prescribe too many pills, and that pill mills are still going strong — noting there can be lines of a hundred people or more waiting for their prescriptions.

Bilirakis also asked for opinions regarding whether parents should have access to their adult children’s medical records.

Views varied.

The mother of a 27-year-old who has been addicted to drugs for 10 years said she wants to help in her son’s recovery and to be his health care advocate.

But, others said that the patient should be the one to determine who is permitted access to his or her medical records.

Others in the audience said there needs to be more communication about support groups and low-cost services available to people struggling with addiction or recovering from substance abuse.

There are places where addicts can turn for help, but sometimes they don’t know about them, speakers said.

Bilirakis asked the audience to weigh in on the topic of medication-assisted treatment.

Using medication in addition to behavioral health counseling can be helpful, but there seems to be a trend toward more money for medication and less money for mental health care, one speaker said.

People in the crowd also reminded Bilirakis that while the opioid crisis is getting significant attention, Pasco County also has a problem with people abusing meth, alcohol and Xanax, among other things.

Speakers told Bilirakis there needs to be more trust placed in health care professionals who can determine the best course of treatment for a patient.

That isn’t happening, though, in an environment when issues tend to be “silo-d,” and there are too many restrictions on funding, they said.

Published September 6, 2017