- Ortoll helped grow FSU's recovery program from 20 students to over 1,200.
- The Tallahassee Rotary told me at the time there were 3,776 deadly overdoses in Florida in 2022. 31 of those deaths were in Leon County.
- Watch the video above to hear from the FSU alum, FSU officials about the what's being done to prevent substance abuse.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
"The opposite of addiction is connection. When we are down mentally with depression or anxiety or down in the midst of drugs we isolate, we don't want to connect. So, it was important for me to get out there."
Mike Ortoll is an FSU alum.
He tells me what someone goes through during an addiction.
Ortoll knows because his daughter, Christine, lost her life after an overdose.
"I could barely get up for the first six months. It was the most; for a parent, it was the biggest tragedy."
Now Mike, is on a mission to make sure no parent goes through that same heartache.
It's called SAFTEY NET: Helping College Students in Recovery Thrive.
It's a 15-minute documentary which shares the importance of college recovery programs, to all campuses across the U.S.
Ortoll's mission started after November 2nd, 2020. That’s the date Christine Ortoll died.
"I was in the middle of two things. One, making the donation to be able to build a college recovery program at Florida State, and two, do a film; a documentary on my daughter's journey using her journals to show the whole world a lesson learned in how this is a destructive family disease. It doesn't just hit the person suffering, but the family of the community."
Back in November, I looked into overdose deaths in Florida and Leon County.
The Tallahassee Rotary told me at the time there were 3,776 deadly overdoses in Florida in 2022.
31 of those deaths were in Leon County.
On top of the documentary project, numbers like these are reasons Ortoll took notice.
"What we've also discovered is you have to have Narcan. What we've done at Florida State is we put Narcan, which reverses the effect of an opioid overdose
I asked Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, Angela Chong, about those University measures.
"We really emphasize education and prevention work. We have a robust support system for our students including our recovery program and different harm reduction strategies."
I also asked Chong about Mike Ortoll's mission. She tells me:
"Mike Ortoll is one of our champions."
Ortoll helped grow FSU's that campuses college recovery program from 20 students to over 1,200.
Work that he tells me he'll continue to do for those still struggling, and for his daughter Christine.
"I decided to do something and really focus on her beauty, and my love for her."
Ortell plans to have his documentary out on about 8 streaming platforms.
