Generation O’s Founder & CEO, Lenette Serlo, Speaks at Florida State Opioid Council

Article Source: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/05/14/state-council-highlights-ways-to-help-vulnerable-populations-with-opioid-settlement-funds/?share=icahoiheteaawewictho

• How to help babies born addicted to opioids.

• How to reconnect families torn apart by substance abuse.

• How to help inmates give up drugs and reintegrate into society.

These issues were highlighted during a recent meeting of Florida’s Statewide Council on Opioid Abatement, which was established to provide guidance to Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Legislature and the state Department of Children and Families. The council delves into what aspects of the opioid epidemic should be prioritized, review how the state’s opioid lawsuit settlement money should be spent and analyze the effect of already spent funds.

Here’s a look at some of the issues.

Youths affected by opioids

Lenette Serlo is the founder and CEO of Generation O, a national organization for opioid-exposed children with the mission of supporting parents, helping educators keep up with the science surrounding prenatal opioid exposure and providing research to the public.

“Obviously, we want to do everything to save every adult and to stop every addict, but we’re forgetting the children, and Florida has an opportunity to be a leader in this fight to support these kids,” Serlo told the council.

Serlo spoke about her experience with her two adopted children, who inspired her to inform people “that these children are out there and most conversations around the opioid epidemic don’t involve these kids.”

At 15 and 5, Serlo said, “they have a lot of potential.” But “they also have a lot of long-term effects from the opioid exposure that they experienced in the womb.”

She told the council it’s “my mission to let you know who they are and how they’re struggling and to ask for your help in getting them the support that they need. … We also are interested in helping professionals and policymakers understand these children and their strengths and weaknesses so that we can make better decisions about them.”

Early childhood court

Another issue the council focused on during the recent meeting also centered around children with a presentation about early childhood court from Mimi Graham, the director of Florida State University’s Center for Prevention and Early Intervention Policy.

Unlike regular court, early childhood court focuses on children from infants to 3-year-olds, and Graham explained the three major pieces:

— Trauma-informed judges who create “trauma-informed courtrooms.”

— Therapeutic services for families.

— Coordinators who serve as liaisons with the judge to expedite the process.

“We get kids out of the system faster, which means you save money and it’s better for kids, and if the parents are not able to get clean and sober, then the adoptions are faster,” Graham said.

Babies are the largest age group going into child welfare, Graham said, and without quick intervention, the early traumas those babies may face, such as opioid abuse by the parents, could lead to addictions and mental health issues.

With early childhood court, “there’s a higher reunification rate than regular court,” Graham said.

“It is a proven evidence-based trauma treatment approach that can improve the child well-being, strengthen families and stop the multi-generational cycle of maltreatment and save us tax dollars,” she said. “We would love to add the opioid abatement funds to the mix.”

Seeking help for inmates

The third strategy the council discussed during the meeting was a jail-based medical assisted treatment program born out of a correctional facility in Seminole County.

Laura Bedard, the department of corrections chief, explained to the council that as inmates come into the facility, they undergo a screening process where they get blood work and any other necessary tests. Bedard said a medically assisted withdrawal protocol is administered, “which is treatment for symptoms as people are coming off of their drug of choice, in this case, opioids.”

The treatment program also provides counseling and therapy, peer support services such as Narcotics Anonymous, health and wellness education, and a network of resources once inmates are released.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, the council’s delegated chair, said partnerships such as the ones being forged with organizations such as Generation O, the early childhood court initiative and the inmate treatment program are “quite literally saving lives.”

“We have an opportunity and responsibility to ensure that the resources are used in ways that create lasting change for the individuals and families and the communities throughout our state,” Lemma said.

The meeting represented “coordination” and “meaningful progress,” Lemma said.

“Each of these speakers brings unique perspectives shaped by direct service, lived experience and data-driven strategies,” he said.

And some of the council members gained a critical understanding of certain issues they didn’t have before.

Council board member Chris Dougherty, who also is a Bradford County commissioner, said he was shocked to discover how many infants in Bradford County are affected by opioids — 268 per 10,000 babies in 2022, which was some of the highest in the state, according to Generation O.

“I was stunned to see Bradford County at the top of that list,” Dougherty said.

Because of that, Dougherty said he is grateful the presentation will be “memorialized” and plans to share the information with Bradford County officials and programs to increase awareness.

“We’ve got momentum. The state of Florida has a lot to be proud of,” Lemma said.