The Orange County Board of County Commissioners called a meeting with addiction treatment leaders in the community to recognize National Recovery Month and how participating attendees can help more people get necessary addiction treatment.  Among the notable attendees were Mayor Teresa Jacobs and leaders for many local addiction treatment centers including New Season’s Orlando Treatment Center, Advanced Recovery Systems, Aspire Health Partners, Sunrise Detox, Central FL Recovery Center, STEPPS, Now Matters More Foundation, Life Counseling Solutions, The Couch Live and several others organizations.

At the meeting, Mayor Jacobs shared many disturbing statistics about the Opioid Epidemic.  For example, 20.8 million people 12 years or older were classified with a substance use disorder in the past year, and more than 8.1 million adults reported having co-occurring disorders, a mental health illness and substance use disorder.  Mayor Jacobs advised all in attendance to encourage relatives and friends of people with substance abuse disorders to seek treatment. David Cartagena, Program Director at New Season’s Orlando Treatment Center, was among those recognized for their efforts in combating the Opioid Epidemic in Orange County and the greater Orlando.

During the meeting Mayor Jacobs proclaimed that given the serious nature of this public health problem, we must all join hands and continue to raise awareness about the importance of treatment and the services available in Orange County to those in need.

Author: David Cartagena, Program Director for Orlando Methadone Treatment Center (pictured to the left of the group photo)