Supporting Seniors Throughout
the Region
We are forming a new cross-sector committee to support those 60 and older.
Get Involved:
If your organization or agency serves our older population or is interested in ways to improve outcomes in older adults in the Tampa Bay region, please join us. We are forming a cross-sector committee that will meet monthly with the sole purpose of reducing the overdose death rate in those 60 and older. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Webb, CEO, Live Tampa Bay, by email, jw@livetampabay.org, subject line “Supporting Seniors.”
Why?
Did you know those 60 and older are more likely to die from an overdose in the Tampa Bay region than those 30 and younger? Indeed, year-over-year for the past three years, the number of seniors dying has increased. This is occurring while the overall number of Tampa Bay residents fatally overdosing has decreased. To remedy this situation, Live Tampa Bay brought a pilot project to Florida legislators.
Who?
Through the Supporting Seniors Committee, Live Tampa Bay will bring together agencies that support or serve seniors and those government departments focused on seniors (from either a healthcare or consumer protection mission) with traditional mental health and substance use providers in the Tampa Bay region.
Context:
Thanks to the leadership of Representative Koster and Senator Rouson, Live Tampa Bay has secured a legislative appropriation to pilot Supporting Seniors, a project focused on supporting those 60 and older in the Tampa Bay region who are overdosing.
The Broader Project:
Our pilots have simple but effective phases.
We will examine the why behind the deaths, develop interventions with our partners, initiate those interventions, measure again, tweak those interventions for maximum effectiveness, and then see if our program has had an impact on reducing the number of seniors dying from overdose. And, throughout the pilot, cross-sector partners will be meeting to better coordinate care for this specific population.
So far, Live Tampa Bay will be partnering with senior-supporting agencies such as Seniors in Service and AARP, along with traditional substance use/mental health service providers in our region, to provide services. Partnerships with Central Florida HIDTA and FMHI/USF will lead research and evaluation efforts. But this is just the beginning.