Pinellas County will spend $25 million in opioid settlement money on a new behavioral health urgent care center after commissioners voted unanimously Friday to approve the contract.

The facility, at 6720 54th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg, will offer mental health treatment, substance use services and routine medical care seven days a week. It marks the county's largest single commitment from the opioid settlement fund, as first reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

For Palm Harbor and Dunedin residents dealing with addiction or mental health crises, the center will significantly expand access to behavioral health services that were previously limited. Medication-assisted treatment, which helps people manage opioid withdrawal, had been available only on weekdays from 5 to 11 a.m., according to Karen Yatchum, Pinellas County director of human services. The new center will offer those medications from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Operation PAR and Evara Health will run the center

The $25 million contract goes to Operation PAR, a Gulf Coast treatment provider that has operated in Pinellas County for 56 years. The center will run in partnership with Evara Health, a federally qualified health center serving Tampa Bay, and is expected to employ 30 full-time staffers.

"Let's say you have a heart condition or diabetes. When you go in there for the mental health services, you're going to get the screenings to see how your physical health is too," Commissioner Kathleen Peters said at the meeting. Peters sits on the county's Opioid Abatement Fund Advisory Board, which recommended the project.

Operation PAR CEO Jim Miller said his organization worked closely with county staff to develop the project.

Pinellas lagged neighbors in spending settlement dollars

Before Friday's vote, the county had spent just 1% of its opioid settlement dollars. Of roughly $43 million received since 2023, only about $478,000 had been allocated. Pinellas is expected to receive about $100 million through the regional settlement fund over 18 years.

By comparison, Hillsborough has allocated about $25 million across more than a dozen projects. Pasco County has approved roughly $18 million of the $26 million it received.

The county chose to invest in one large project rather than spread grants across smaller providers. That decision followed an October 2024 analysis by consulting firm Ernst & Young, which studied opioid and behavioral health response in Pinellas and found room for improvement.

In 2024, the most recent year with complete data, Pinellas County's opioid overdose rate was double that of neighboring Hillsborough County.

The contract is anticipated to take effect Oct. 1.

Peters said she wants the county to create a public dashboard showing how much money remains in the fund, how it has been spent and what outcomes it produces.