Florida should remove restrictions for peer recovery specialists, behavioral health leader says Nicole Pasia | Jun 28, 2021 Share this: Over the course of the pandemic, higher levels of social isolation have taken a toll on Floridians’ behavioral health. In 2020, non-fatal opioid overdoses increased by 40 percent compared to 2019, according to the Florida Dept. of Health. However, some experts say the state overdose death rate increased as much as 62 percent. As the state begins to plan for life after the pandemic, Christine Cauffield, MD, CEO of behavioral health Managing Entit...