Gainesville Fire Rescue answered 721 substance-related overdose calls in 2025. Alachua County residents in The Sunshine State have a wide range of programs for addiction treatment, but all too often First Responders have to step in.
The calls in Gainesville didn’t just involve opioid overdoses. They involved prescription medications and opioids and other substances. But alcohol made up the largest share.
One clarification on the figure. It counts calls answered by only one Fire Rescue Agency. Alachua County’s actual overdose count is higher, since it includes cases from other agencies, hospitals without a 911 call or those never reported at all.
Local Numbers at Play
The highest volume of calls came in April and August. Saturday was the most common day for alarms. The most common window was 8 p.m. to midnight.
Those patterns show why communities like Gainesville need more than an emergency response. The problem is more than any single department can address alone.
But lack of transportation and insurance make it harder for people in the area to reach treatment. Specific treatment options such as for people using stimulants and methamphetamine can also increase accessibility.
Emily Westerholm, executive director of Released Reentry, noted that alcohol-related overdoses are among the most frequently recorded incidents in Alachua County.
Local Groups Working Together
The report came out at “Taking Strides to End Overdose,” an event held on International Overdose Awareness Day. It was hosted by the Nehemiah Project and Released Reentry.
In part, the event was celebratory and marked the decrease of overdose deaths in the state overall. But each death still left grieving families behind. Participants walked 5,501 steps, one for each Floridian who died of an overdose in 2024, according to Melissa Rea, Nehemiah Project’s executive director.
Nehemiah is made up of people who’ve been through recovery and now work with individuals, families and communities affected by substance use and mental health issues.
The event brought together Gainesville Fire Rescue, Released Reentry, the Nehemiah Project health care providers and public health officials. Gainesville City Commissioner Ed Book and other local officials attended.
The Gap After Treatment Ends
Released Reentry brings together people with lived experience, folks working directly with residents and administrators to enhance the local response to substance use.
One gap stood out. Rea described the difficulty of finding a safe place for people to stay after they finish treatment or while they wait for a spot in a longer-term recovery program. People need a safe and supportive place while additional services come available.
The group also focuses on overdose prevention for people returning to the community after incarceration. Released Reentry provides overdose education inside the Alachua County Jail, includes naloxone in welcome-home bags for people leaving jail and has made naloxone available in the jail lobby.
Overdose Risk After Incarceration
Indeed, tolerance can change during incarceration and put people at higher risk of a fatal overdose after release.
When someone stops using opioids for a period, their tolerance drops. If they return to a dose that was familiar before, that same amount might be too strong and causes them to stop breathing.
Naloxone is a harm reduction tool to reverse opioid overdoses. It works only on opioids, so it will not reverse an alcohol or stimulant overdose, though giving it is still appropriate when the substances involved are unknown.
One Local Path Through
One case was Liz Slusser. She described her experience at the event in which she had nowhere to go after leaving jail. She slept at a laundromat and knew that going back to her hometown of Chiefland and her old circle would likely mean a return to substance use.
While in jail she learned about Oxford House, a network of recovery homes. After release, a friend connected her with reentry coordinators. She filled out the application around 12:30 a.m. and had calls for house interviews by 8:30 that morning. She has lived in a Gainesville Oxford House since May. The women she lives with have become her support system.
Slusser now does service work through Released Reentry and the Nehemiah Project. She wants to rebuild relationships with her children.
Slusser’s experience can be multiplied many times over. Each data point is an individual that can be someone’s sibling, partner, spouse or child.
Addiction Treatment Centers in Florida and the USA
- If transportation or insurance is your barrier, ask directly. Programs vary widely in whether they offer transportation help, accept Florida Medicaid, or run a sliding scale.
- Ask whether a program treats stimulant use, not just opioid or alcohol use
Search our comprehensive directory for addiction treatment centers in Gainesville and across the country. Compare by level of care and payment accepted.
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