Maryland’s top health official previewed a new overdose data dashboard last week, providing a glimpse into the state’s efforts to increase transparency amid the overdose crisis.
Health Secretary Dr. Laura Herrera Scott presented the dashboard, which aims to standardize overdose data and is expected to go live within two weeks, at an Opioid Restitution Fund Advisory Council meeting on Thursday. The Long Haul obtained a recording of the call.
“There are multiple data dashboards, and we’re trying to develop a source of truth that will become the source of truth for the state, that’s one” Herrera Scott said. “And two, how do we create an interactive dashboard so that local jurisdictions or community-based organizations understand where the epidemic is happening, and how do we be more intentional with the funding we receive?”
The presentation came as The Baltimore Banner and The New York Times began to publish a series of articles about the overdose crisis, the first of which confirmed reporting by The Long Haul in February detailing the unprecedented death rate in Baltimore.
Officials hope that the data will provide a more detailed look into overdose trends. It will feature a variety of demographic data, including breakdowns based on race, ethnicity, gender and age, Herrera Scott said.
In addition to providing historical data, it will also be able to identify overdose trends down to the census tract — allowing the state to ensure resources go to areas most impacted by the overdose crisis, she added.
“The funding is really going to be targeted at the ZIP code level,” she said. “That’s how granular we’re going to be getting as far as what we fund and where we fund moving forward.”
The top health official noted that funding from opioid settlements will be imperative in combating the crisis going forward.
So far, Maryland has received $84.1 million from settlements with opioid-related companies, according to an analysis by KFF Health News, and the state expects an estimated $311.2 million in future payouts.
With the state’s announcement of a $238 million settlement with Walmart, Walgreens, Teva and Allergan in February, Maryland’s total payout easily exceeds half a billion dollars.
As Baltimore struggles with the highest overdose death rate in the nation, though, questions arose at the meeting about the city’s share of restitution funds because it has opted out of most state settlements.
Most notably, the city in 2022 refused to join a $395 million state settlement with Johnson & Johnson, an opioid manufacturing giant, as well as AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. As a result, it missed out on millions of dollars.
Baltimore is, however, slated to receive $7.2 million as a part of a state settlement with Walmart over its role in the opioid crisis, the city announced earlier this year, and it plans to take other manufacturers to court in September.
“The city itself can’t receive funding from the settlements it did not join, which is everything but Walmart, but organizations and other entities within the city can,” said Brian Edmunds, a member of the advisory council. “The money can be used in the city. It just can’t be given to the city.”
Discussions about data transparency and the use of funds to curb overdose deaths come at a time when the U.S. is experiencing its first decline in overdose deaths in five years.
There were 2,456 overdose deaths in Maryland in the 12-month period ending January 2024, a 4.1% decrease over the year prior, according to data from Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response.
The death rate was 39.8 per 100,000 people, ranking 13th in the U.S.
Baltimore was one of 13 jurisdictions in Maryland that saw an increase in overdose deaths. Preliminary data shows that Baltimore has begun to trend upward after a pandemic-era surge in deaths subsided.
The city had 1,043 deaths in the yearlong period, an 8.2% increase over the year prior. The death rate was 178.1 deaths per 100,000 people.
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