Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support (HEROS) Program

In 2020, Florida’s emergency responders treated nearly 23,124 drug overdoses…. Yet, in 2020, 34,482 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 (Florida 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, over 500,000 doses have been provided through the HEROS program to 385 emergency response agencies in Florida.

If you, or your agency, are interested in obtaining naloxone for the community in general, including the ability to leave behind doses of naloxone, please visit I SAVE FL (Get Help Florida - Overdose Education (isavefl.com)) to browse available resources, (managed by the Florida Department of Children and Families).

How Does HEROS Work? 

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.

What are the requirements for participating agencies?  

Once you understand the 3 requirements of this program (listed below), please 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:
     • the Emergency Medical Services Tracking and Reporting System (EMSTARS) Version 3 or higher --OR--
     • the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (also known as OD Maps, which is free of charge to join)
       
       
2. Register with MMCAP
   • MMCAP, or the Minnesota Multi-state Contracting Alliance for Pharmacy Agreement, is a free group-purchasing organization that Florida Health uses to procure naloxone at a reduced price. Once an agency joins this free alliance, 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 account created on your agency’s behalf by Florida Health
   • Once the agency’s MMCAP application is processed, and an MMCAP identification number is assigned, the Department will work with our wholesaler, Cardinal, to create a Ship-to Account for each agency. Please note that Cardinal has their own account creation procedure which takes approximately 3 weeks. Once Cardinal has created an agency’s account, the agency will be added under the Department’s Cardinal account, which allows our business office to ship products to each agency. There is no cost to your agency to join or use Cardinal. Any questions about this process or the Cardinal 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 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 the appropriate “Agency Abbreviation” on the application to differentiate your agencies. 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. You will need to list the agency head, and you will also list a primary and secondary contact. The contacts listed will be sent a copy of the application upon submission. Additionally, a user account will be created from the information provided after the agency is initially approved.
   
   
3. Submit HEROS application.
   
   
4. If you do not currently have an MMCAP account, you will need to submit an MMCAP application to MMCAP. Once you have filled out the MMCAP application and have it signed by the person with legal authority to sign for your agency, you will need to scan and submit to mmcap_infuse.membership@state.mn.us or mail to:
   MMCAP Infuse, 50 Sherburne Ave, Suite 112
   St. Paul, MN 55155
   (MMCAP phone number: 651/201-2420).
   
   Once you receive your MMCAP account information, log into your HEROS profile, and add that information under “MMCAP Ship To ID”.
   
   
5. Your agency must be registered with EMSTARS, (Version 3 or higher is encouraged); or the OD MAPS program (Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Overdose Mapping Application Program) to report Naloxone administrations. 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. Visit the OD MAPS website to request access.
   
   
6. Once the agency’s MMCAP application is processed, and an MMCAP identification number is assigned, the Department will work with our wholesaler, Cardinal, to create a Ship-to Account for your agency which can take up to 3 weeks. Once Cardinal has created your agency’s account, it will be added under the Department’s Cardinal 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.
   
   
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. See below for Re-Order instructions.
   
   

Re-Orders of Naloxone 

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.
5. Once orders have been placed with the Vendor, they typically arrive approximately one to three weeks later.
   
   

Expired Naloxone 

Please note that as of August 1, 2021, Florida Health will no longer accept returns of expired naloxone.

Thank you for participating in the HEROS program and for the lifesaving work your agency does every day!