The nascent state office tasked with tackling Maryland’s overdose crisis has concluded its statewide town hall series, bringing to the surface widespread concerns from residents.
Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response held the final town hall virtually on Tuesday. It came as the state continues to see a high rate of fatal overdose deaths, and community input made it abundantly clear that curbing fatalities will require coordinated efforts at all levels of government.
“The processes have been important to us because each community has its own unique challenges, and we have to consider the needs of all Maryland communities as we look to identify solutions for decreasing overdoses across the state,” said Emily Keller, special secretary of the Maryland Office of Overdose Response.
Gov. Wes Moore created the Office of Overdose Response in December to collaborate with agencies throughout the state to address the overdose crisis in Maryland.
Since then, he has also proposed a budget with a record-high $1.4 billion in state aid for mental health and substance abuse services.
While it’s unclear exactly where that funding would go, those who spoke at Tuesday’s town hall — including grieving mothers whose children died of overdoses — emphasized a need for immediate action.
“Treatment is so important, and longer treatment is so important,” said Dianne Shannon, whose son died of a fentanyl overdose at 18 years old. “I think more resources need to be put toward why our kids are self-medicating in the first place.”
Aida Calis, whose son also died of an overdose at 20 years old, urged increased investments in education.
‘One of the things that I think we need to see that’s really important is education in the school system as far as how to maneuver around the conversations of drugs — how to have enough backbone and self-esteem not to fall down that path,” Calis said.
Those in the recovery field also attended the town hall meeting, calling for additional funding to support their efforts.
Shirley Gordon, who works for the Street Angel Project in Annapolis and lost a child in 2018 to a fentanyl overdose, said organizations such as hers are struggling to save lives with the limited resources they have.
“We cannot do this by ourselves,” Gordon said. “I’ve been sober 31 years. I wish I could say that about my kid. I’ve been out here trying to do the work, and every time I turn around, I’m getting a door slammed in my face. I’m asking for help; I need people like you to help us do the work. There is work that needs to be done.”
Jennifer Tuerke, executive director of Voices of Hope, a recovery community organization that serves Cecil and Harford counties, said investments in such services are invaluable.
“We hope that it is clear that the return is high for investing in local recovery community organizations that provide valuable services that help those with opioid use disorder avoid incarceration and have support to treatment that goes beyond the crisis and acute care models, rebuild lives and reunite families for healing, for health for the long term,” Tuerke said.
During the town hall meeting, Keller summarized the feedback she received from all 24 jurisdictions in the state, breaking it down into four categories: prevention, harm reduction, treatment and public safety.
All of the feedback will be used to create Maryland’s Interagency Overdose Coordination Plan, which will largely guide how state agencies work alongside local governments to combat the overdose crisis, she said.
Overall, participants throughout the state proposed more support for children who have parents with substance use disorders; more public education about the signs of overdose and the proper responses; and awareness efforts about the state’s Good Samaritan Law.
Harm reduction suggestions included decriminalization of drug paraphernalia; overdose prevention sites; greater wound care capacity; increased transportation; and additional support for peer recovery specialists.
In addition, participants recommended more treatment options for all individuals, including those with children; addressing broadband access for telemedicine; and addressing barriers facing addicts such as employment, housing, education and food assistance.
Many also emphasized the need to help addicts who are incarcerated, proposing greater treatment capacities in detention facilities; more care coordination for those in prison; and the promotion of alternatives to incarceration.
The town hall series concluded as the most recent data from the state shows there were 2,053 overdose deaths in Maryland in the year-long period ending in September 2023, which is the most recent data available.
About 81% of those were caused by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is significantly stronger than heroin and first became a major player in the opioid epidemic in 2013.
Overdose deaths saw record increases around 2020, with fentanyl becoming more accessible throughout the nation. That’s particularly true in Baltimore, which has the highest overdose death rate of any city in the U.S. and comprises about half of all overdose fatalities in Maryland
In addition to fentanyl becoming more available, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and health disparities caused by systemic racism have contributed to a surge in overdose deaths, officials have said.
Stigmas surrounding addiction have also hindered the state’s ability to help struggling addicts.
While Baltimore has had significant troubles with overdose deaths, experiencing 1,030 deaths — a 5.6% increase — in the most recent 12-month period, the remaining 23 jurisdictions in Maryland have shown mixed results.
In total, 15 counties saw a decrease in overdose deaths. That included Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, which saw decreases of 7.6% and 14.3% over the year prior, respectively.
Others, such as Prince George’s County, continued to see a rise in deaths. With 231 deaths during that period, the county saw an 11% increase.
Additional data and resources for those struggling with addiction can be found on the state’s website.
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