ADVERTISEMENT
Florida rolls out free Vivitrol injections for some justice clients
A Tampa, Fla., drug treatment agency has become the first provider in Florida to be authorized to offer injectable naltrexone free of charge to opioid-dependent individuals mandated to treatment by the criminal courts. The Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office (DACCO) in Tampa began administering Vivitrol injections last week.
Florida legislators last year appropriated around $5 million to go toward the monthly injections, which normally cost upwards of $1,000 per dose. The Tampa Bay Times reported Jan. 19 that around 15 substance use treatment clinics have applied so far to be able to serve court-mandated clients with Vivitrol.
“Right now we're starting it with people that are in drug courts, people that are on county probation, people that are on state probation,” Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (FADAA) director Mark Fontaine said in the newspaper article. FADAA is exploring whether patients who are civilly committed to treatment also will be eligible for the free medication.
