Story thread · 2 reports / 1 sources

Pinellas County mental health and addiction services to expand

tampabay.com · 4hShare

The Pinellas Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a $25 million contract that will expand access to mental health care and substance use treatment for residents. The contract, with Operation PAR , is for a behavioral health urgent care. The center will be funded using settlement money paid out by drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. Prior to its approval, the county had designated just 1% of the $43 million it had been awarded since 2023, drawing criticism from stakeholders who said the money — earmarked specifically for lifesaving services — wasn’t being utilized. The approval puts Pinellas in line with neighboring counties who have already distributed millions. “This is going to be a huge, huge asset for our community,” said Commissioner Kathleen Peters who sits on the Opioid Abatement Fund Advisory Board, which is tasked with making recommendations for how to spend the dollars. The urgent care, which wil

First report: Three years in, Pinellas County could finally put opioid abatement dollars to work — tampabay.com, 2d