Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support (HEROS) Program

In 2023, Florida’s EMS emergency responders respond to 102,454 (provisional data) drug overdoses. In 2022, 6,157 (provisional data) people in Florida died from an opioid drug overdose. More lives can be saved through the expanded use of naloxone, a drug that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose.

If you’re one of the heroes who work every day to save lives, you are well-aware of the statewide and nationwide opioid epidemic.

Florida Department of Health recognizes that many emergency response agencies need assistance obtaining the life-saving drug, naloxone, and that’s where the HEROS program comes in.

HEROS (Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support) is a Florida Health program that provides free naloxone to emergency response agencies. Since the inception of the program in 2018, almost 850,000 doses have been provided through the HEROS program to over 545 emergency response agencies in Florida.

If you, or your agency, are interested in obtaining naloxone, including the ability to leave behind doses of naloxone, visit I Save FL to view available resources.

HEROS Program

Any Florida agency that employs licensed emergency responders may apply to the HEROS program online. Licensed emergency responders include law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians or paramedics, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers as defined in Florida Statutes.

Requirements for Participating Agencies

The HEROS Program has three enrollment requirements. Proceed to the step-by-step instructions for joining HEROS.

1. Report Naloxone administrations to an approved system:
   • Approved reporting systems as identified in Chapter 401.253(1), F.S.  are:
     • For emergency medical services - the Emergency Medical Services Tracking and Reporting System (EMSTARS) Version 3 or higher, OR
     • For law enforcement and non-EMS agencies - the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (known as ODMAP, free to join)
2. Register with MMCAP or Florida Department of Health can register your agency:
   • MMCAP, or the Minnesota Multi-state Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy Agreement, is a free group-purchasing organization that Florida Department of Health uses to procure naloxone at a reduced price.
   • Once an agency joins, the Department can ship discounted naloxone to that agency’s location.
   • There is no cost to your agency to join or use MMCAP.
3. Have a Cardinal Health account created on your agency’s behalf by the Florida Department of Health
   • Once the agency’s MMCAP application is processed, and an MMCAP identification number is assigned, the Department will work with our wholesaler, Cardinal Health, to create a ship-to account for each agency. Cardinal Health has their own account creation procedure which takes approximately three weeks. Once Cardinal Health has created an agency’s account, the agency will be added under the Department’s Cardinal Health account, which allows our business office to ship products to each agency.
   • There is no cost to your agency to join or use Cardinal Health.
   • Any questions about this process or the Cardinal Health account requirement, may be sent to HEROSProgram@FLHealth.gov.

Step by Step Instructions

If your agency would like to apply to join the HEROS program and receive assistance obtaining naloxone, please follow the steps listed in the checklist below. Note that ALL STEPS must be completed for an account to be established and receive naloxone.

Checklist for first time applicants:

Please use Google Chrome (or Microsoft Edge) browser for maximum performance with the HEROS system.

1. Click on the HEROS application link.
   
   You will need your agency’s Federal Employee ID Number to get started. If an Emergency Responder in your county has already enrolled using the same FEIN, please use a different number for the last digit. This number is not used for any tracking or identification purposes. If you do not know your agency’s FEIN, the HEROS Program staff is available at (850) 245-4440 to assist with bypassing the FEIN in the application process.
   
   Be sure to use the appropriate “Agency Abbreviation” on the application to differentiate your agency. For example, Police Department (PD), Sheriff’s Office (SO), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), or Fire Rescue (FR).
   
   
2. Complete all fields in the application. If you do not have an MMCAP membership, leave those fields blank. The HEROS Program staff will request an MMCAP membership on behalf of your agency.
   
   
3. Complete the agency details by listing the agency head, demographics, and tax status. Primary and secondary contacts should be provided. These contacts are responsible for ordering naloxone products. The contacts listed will be sent a copy of the application upon submission. Additionally, a user account for the contacts will be created from the information provided after the agency is initially approved.
   
   
4. Submit HEROS application.
   
   
5.  Your agency must be registered with one of the following reporting systems:
   
   For emergency medical services agencies - EMSTARS, (Version 3 or higher is encouraged).
   
   For law enforcement and non-EMS agencies - the ODMAP program (Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Overdose Mapping Application Program). Visit the ODMAP website to request access.
   
   Chapter 401.253(1), F.S. requires that one of these two systems be used to report naloxone administrations. There is no cost to use either of these systems. Your application to HEROS cannot be finalized and approved until your agency has an account with one of these two systems.
   
   
6. Once the agency’s MMCAP application is processed, and an MMCAP identification number is assigned, the Department will work with our wholesaler, Cardinal Health, to create a “Ship-to Account” for your agency which can take up to 3 weeks. Once Cardinal Health has created your agency’s account, it will be added under the Department’s Cardinal Health account, allowing the DOH Pharmacy business office to ship products to your agency. There is no cost to your agency to join or use Cardinal Health.
   
   
7. Orders are placed once a month. Once your account is fully approved, and you have submitted a request for naloxone, your order will be placed with the vendor during the first week of the following month. So, if you made a request on the 23rd of any given month, for example, your request will be ordered sometime between the 1st and 7th of the following month. Once orders have been placed with the vendor, they typically arrive approximately one to three weeks later.
   
   
8. Your agency will not receive any further shipments of naloxone until you submit a re-order application.

To place another order please follow the steps below:

1. Please log into the HOMER system https://fdepcs.com/dashboard
2. Once you are logged in, click on the application tab
3. Click, "Create Application"
4. Choose product choice and order per dose
5. Accept "Oath"
6. Click "Submit" once complete

Reminder, that the items are all per dose and not package size so please order the correct number of doses you are interested in receiving.

All orders approved during a month are processed the first week of the following month.

Re-Orders of Naloxone

1. Instructions for re-orders (for those already approved to participate in HEROS):

   1. Log into the HEROS site (https://fdepcs.com/heros).
      If you need assistance, please send a message to HEROSProgram@FLHealth.gov
   2. Submit your request for naloxone by selecting “applications” from the drop-down menu under HEROS, (top left) then click on the green “create application” box in the top left-hand corner. You will then be directed to select an agency. This will bring up a screen where you can indicate type and quantity of naloxone, just as you did when you first joined. Agencies may only place one order per month. Please contact HEROSProgram@FLHealth.gov if your agency has an urgent need.
   3. Please make sure you select the green “Submit” button in the upper right-hand corner of the application upon completion.
   4. All requests submitted are placed with the vendor during the first week of each month. For example, if you make a request on the 25th of any given month, your request will be ordered sometime between the 1st and 7th of the following month.
   Once orders have been placed with the vendor, they typically arrive approximately one to three weeks later.

Expired Naloxone

Florida Health does not accept returns of expired naloxone. Please dispose of all medications appropriately. Information on pharmaceutical waste management is available from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection at: Pharmaceutical Waste Management for Businesses and Homeowners | Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Thank you for participating in the HEROS program and for the lifesaving work your agency does every day! We appreciate your commitment to improving the health of people in your communities!