Baltimore will soon open a new center for people who need short-term drug and alcohol treatment. The center will provide basic services such as first aid, withdrawal management and it will refer people who have a substance use disorder to receive further drug and alcohol treatment in a long-term facility.
Over 1500 people in Maryland overdosed on opioids from January to September of 2017, according to a Baltimore quarterly report. That was an upward trend from 2016 of that same timeframe when 1344 people died from opioids. There were 523 people who died from opioid-related overdoses in Baltimore in 2017 compared to 443 in 2016.
Maryland saw a decrease in alcohol-related deaths as 339 people died in 2017 compared to 394 in 2016. Baltimore saw a similar decrease as 148 people died in 2017, down from 222 the year before.
The city of Baltimore has been working to find a better system to assist people who need drug and alcohol treatment. Instead of incarcerating people, the Baltimore police department started aiming to get them into treatment by implementing the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Program (LEAD).
LEAD started last year and allows police officers in Baltimore who find people needing drug and alcohol treatment to call case managers with Baltimore Crisis Response Inc. — a private nonprofit organization that specializes in providing assistance to those struggling with substance abuse.
The case managers work with patients and set them up with drug and alcohol treatment as well as mental help services and housing.
There are several drug and alcohol treatment centers already located in Baltimore but this new facility will be the first 24/7 emergency center to give drug and alcohol treatment to people who need it.
The Stabilization Center, as it’s being called by officials in charge, costs $6.2 million to construct. It will be a drug and alcohol treatment center where patients will expect to stay for a day or less.
The financing of the drug and alcohol treatment center was secured by several providers. There was $3.6 million spent from the state budget and the Maryland Department of Health added $2 million that they received from the 21st Century Cures Act.
The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in late 2016, was enacted to fast-track research into preventing and healing serious illness and countering the opioid epidemic.
Catherine Pugh, the Mayor of Baltimore, stated that this new drug and alcohol treatment center will ensure that patients suffering from substance abuse can get the assistance that they need.
Dr. Leana Wen, the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, said… (Continue Reading)
Author: Robert B. Hayek
Robert B Hayek is a reporter for Addiction Now and covers features and local spotlight stories. He previously worked for Fox Sports as a production assistant as well as a writer and reporter for an online website called Real Talk Sports Network. He has lived in Southern California his entire life, is a lover of books and writing and also surfs. Contact Robert at roberth@addictionnow.com
