HCADA Interview

TAMPA, Fla. — For Ellen Snelling, it’s still so surreal. In 2016, she got the unexpected phone call no one ever wants. Her brother died of a drug overdose in Miami.

“I was actually at Universal Studios. It was right before Christmas,” she remembered. “And got a phone call that he had overdosed and died — I just — I can’t describe how — it was just horrible.”

And then, in the summer of 2021, history nearly repeated itself when someone in her immediate family had a similar scare, and according to Snelling, “came very close to death” but miraculously survived.

“It’s almost like you can’t comprehend it,” said Snelling.

TAMPA, Fla. (June 30, 2021) – Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance (HCADA), a community-based nonprofit offering alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse education and prevention activities since 2003, is excited to announce its relocation, effective July 1, 2021.

HCADA will be moving from its current location at 2815 E. Henry Avenue, Suite B-1 in Tampa to new office space on the campus of their longtime partner organization, Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS), at 4612 North 56th Street.

“We’re excited about the move,” said Executive Director Cindy Grant, “and very grateful to ACTS not only for the space but also for our many years of partnership in substance abuse education and prevention.”

Armed with this information, we would try to seek a grant to try to specifically help these families and their parents so they can be reunited with these kids once they get the treatment they need," said Ellen Snelling of the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance.

TAMPA, Fla. - Cindy Grant grew up among a large family of lobster fishermen, but after moving to Tampa she suffered an unimaginable tragedy. Now she has dedicated her life to helping others overcome substance abuse.

It is estimated that 14 people die from an opioid drug overdose each and every day in our state, and Tampa Bay is ground zero for this deadly crisis. While Governor Rick Scott has declared a public health emergency and set aside millions of dollars to fight the opioid epidemic, is it enough? How did opioid addiction get so out of hand and what can be done about it?