This month marks six years since the Ocala Police Department announced its Heroin/Opioid Amnesty program. The department launched the program in response to growing opioid overdoses in the city.
Still, cases continue to rise.
According to the Ocala PD Public Information Office, response calls and deaths related to opioid use nearly doubled between 2018 and 2020, with 180 response calls increasing to 350. Death from opioid abuse reached its highest count in 2021 – at 45, an increase of 16 deaths from 2018.
Ocala native Melissa Abney is a local coffee shop manager and recovered opioid addict who participated in the Heroine/Opioid Amnesty program in 2020. Her nonprofit, Wear Gloves, aims to provide additional resources for addicts in the community.
“We have a huge [opioid] epidemic and problem here in Ocala,” she said. "The more I can talk about it and inspire other people ... they know that there is hope."
In addition to delivering fresh coffee grounds, Wear Gloves provides mental health counseling services once a week for its customers and employees.
Reported police response calls and deaths remain higher since the Heroine Opioid Amnesty Program’s inception, with 197 calls and 34 deaths in 2023.