“This is a culture-changing epidemic.”
Physicians, policymakers, law enforcement authorities and other leading healthcare professionals came together at the Oct. 6 FMA Opioid Summit in Tampa for an in-depth discussion of what former DEA Agent and keynote speaker Bob Stutman deemed “a culture-changing epidemic.” Throughout the day, a series of panelists shared sobering stories from the front lines and offered solutions for preventing opioid abuse while ensuring that patients have appropriate access to pain medication. Gov. Rick Scott addressed attendees and invited physicians to provide feedback on his legislative proposal to fight Florida’s opioid crisis. “I think that anybody who has a family member who’s been involved in drugs or (anybody) who’s lost a family member — you know how important this is,” Gov. Scott said.
“I think that anybody who has a family member who’s been involved in drugs or (anybody) who’s lost a family member — you know how important this is.
— Gov. Rick Scott
Top left: FMA President John Katopodis, M.D., talks with Gov. Rick Scott following his remarks at the Opioid Summit. Top right: Keynote Speaker and former DEA Agent Bob Stutman. Bottom Left: Speaker Hector Vila, Jr., M.D., Pediatric Dental Anesthesia Associates and
Member, Florida Board of Medicine Bottom right: Florida Surgeon General and Department of Health Secretary Celeste Philip, M.D., addresses the crowd.
"Chronic pain alone affects more Americans than diabetes, cancer and heart disease combined." — FMA Speaker Ashley Booth Norse, M.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville