Published: 07/15/2026 | Author: Eric Owens

A community-wide effort in Manatee County, Florida, has driven a 56% reduction in opioid overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024, according to data from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. The county once led overdose deaths in The Sunshine State, but a combination of rehab programs and grassroots efforts like Narcotics Anonymous has cut those numbers by more than half.

Now, Manatee County has been recognized by the state Department of Children and Families as the state’s top performer in reducing opioid-related fatalities. The county further qualifies for $500,000 in continued funding through the state’s Coordinated Opioid Recovery Network.

Driving Down Opioid Overdoses

Overdoses in Bradenten and throughout Manatee County fell from 1,289 in 2016 to just over 204 in 2025. Deaths fell from 123 to less than 40. Health Services Information Manager Thu Le tracks the county’s opioid data and credited the decline to sustained collaboration rather than any single program.

“It’s not a silo of one person, one program, one agency approach,” Le noted. She credited the “good connections and relationships within the community” that work to “prevent OD’s and to provide education on naloxone.”

The effort has involved law enforcement, emergency medical services, nonprofits and faith-based organizations working together on outreach and education. A partnership with Helping Up Mission, a long-term residential recovery program in Baltimore, also played a part. Over the past year and a half, Manatee County has referred roughly 200 people to that program.

Personal Recovery Journeys

Brenda Brooker is an Adult Recovery Program Supervisor with NAMI who works in the county’s Overdose Prevention and Education Program. She recalled how her path to recovery shaped how she connects with people who still use. Brooker has been clean for nine years and pointed out how sharing that history helps break down resistance folks often show toward official outreach.

“I’ve been through the hell they’ve been in, and I know there’s a better way,” Brooker stated. “Once they see you, and you have a clipboard, or you have something, it’s like that wall goes up.” However, things change “the minute you say, hey I’ve been there, me too.” At that point, “the wall start to come down, and the trust starts to get built.”

Harm Reduction Works

Naloxone, sold under brand names including Narcan, is a medication that reverses opioid overdoses in progress by rapidly restoring normal breathing. Manatee County has distributed thousands of naloxone kits, some at local bus stops so bystanders can respond quickly during an overdose emergency. Wider naloxone access is one of the most consistent harm reduction methods, and county officials point to it as a central piece of the decline.

For people with opioid use disorder, treatment options extend beyond harm reduction supplies. Medication-assisted treatment, including buprenorphine and methadone, reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms while a person works toward recovery. 

NA meetings offer peer support and a structured recovery community for those who’ve used opioids or other narcotics. Many people combine both approaches rather than devote themselves to just one.

NA Combats Opioid Addiction

Residents of Manatee County or elsewhere in the country looking for support often start with NA. Meetings are free and confidential, and fellowship lasts a lifetime, through the good times and not-so-good times.

Getting started simply requires a phone call to 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak with an expert. Or, feel free to browse our directory to connect with NA meetings anywhere in the country, no matter whatever stage of recovery you’re in.