Hogan Administration Announces Grants Totaling $10 Million to Fight Heroin and Opioid Epidemic

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland’s Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC), in coordination with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, today announced nearly $10 million in grants to fight the heroin and opioid epidemic during fiscal year 2020.  

“Our administration continues to be committed to using every resource possible to ensure our local jurisdictions have access to life-saving resources such as programs aimed towards prevention, treatment, and recovery,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “These grants are a powerful tool for our local communities in our fight against the opioid epidemic.” 

The funding for Fiscal Year 2020 is part of a $50 million, five-year commitment from the administration announced in 2017.

“Combatting the ongoing opioid epidemic and saving the lives of Marylanders continues to be a top priority of this administration,” said Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford. “The programs and recipients of this funding represent the comprehensive, holistic approach we are taking to address this issue from all angles.”  

“I am delighted that more than fifty critical programs all across the state of Maryland will be funded through more than $5.6 million in competitive grants, in addition to $4 million in block grants that will be distributed to each of the individual jurisdictions to determine how best to fight the opioid epidemic,” said Steve Schuh, Executive Director of the Opioid Operational Command Center. “As Governor Hogan observed from the beginning of this crisis, this battle will be won through the combined efforts of all of the local communities across the state. The OOCC supports all of these great programs.”

Efforts that will receive funding in FY 2020 include:

•  $4 million in block grants distributed to local Opioid Intervention Teams for each jurisdiction to determine how best to fight the opioid epidemic; and
• Over $5.6 million in competitive grants to fight the opioid crisis through prevention & education, enforcement & public safety, and treatment & recovery programs.

Competitive grants for fiscal 2020 are as follows:

Prevention & Education

• $440,000 to provide training and mentorship in a stress and trauma-relief model to educators, healthcare workers, and addiction and detention programs across Allegany County
• $184,000 to expand law-enforcement-assisted diversion (LEAD) to treatment programs
• $47,000 to provide prevention-focused programming in two Carroll County high schools, four Carroll County middle schools, as well as 4th and 5th grade students from five Westminster-area elementary schools
• $14,000 to support mental & behavioral health counseling for children and families who are surviving victims of the opioid crisis.
• $56,000 for Carroll County public school’s opioid abuse prevention project
• $295,000 to support statewide EMS education initiative for treating opiate overdoses
• $8,000 to support Lower Shore Addiction Awareness Visual Arts Competition
• $137,000 to support informational campaign, education and training, and enhanced data collection in Queen Anne’s County
• $59,000 to support a multi-faceted campaign for opioid prevention and awareness in the St. Mary’s County public school system
• $62,000 to provide a licensed social worker for students in the Bay Hundred area of Talbot County
• $87,000 to support Washington Goes Purple activities to increase awareness of opioid addiction and to encourage students to get/stay involved in school
• $49,000 to support Worcester Goes Purple awareness campaign
• $66,000 to provide support for children whose parent(s) and other close relatives have experienced a fatal or nonfatal overdose in Anne Arundel County/Annapolis
• $60,000 to provide health curriculum in Calvert County public school system focusing on mental- and emotional-health supports and substance-abuse prevention
• $56,000 to support substance abuse prevention groups in the Calvert County public school system
• $97,000 to support prevention efforts in the Cecil County public schools system
• $94,000 to support prevention programming for Cecil County youth
• $59,000 for parenting and family training sessions in Harford County to increase resilience and reduce risk factors
• $49,000 for an anti-stigma campaign in four counties across each region of the state that will create awareness of opioid-use disorder and related stigma
• $50,000 to provide harm-reduction materials at Maryland senior centers
• $20,000 to support opioid-education programming in Talbot County
• $13,000 support drug-disposal boxes in Washington County
• $15,000 to support high-intensity services for justice-involved youth and family members in Washington County

Enforcement & Public Safety

• $580,000 to increase monitoring and regulatory oversight of controlled substances prescribers and dispensers
• $57,000 to support the Washington County Sheriff’s Office day reporting center
• $205,000 to support the Sheriff’s Office efforts to educate the community on opioids, etc. in Allegany County
• $62,000 to support a Heroin Coordinator in Caroline County, which helps to make the link between law enforcement and treatment

 Treatment & Recovery

• $380,000 to improve access to naloxone statewide, specifically EMS
• $53,000 for peer-support services at the Jennifer Road Detention Center in Anne Arundel County
• $59,000 to reduce barriers to treatment services in Baltimore City
• $97,000 to help women access treatment and recovery services in Baltimore City
• $20,000 to expand behavioral health services (addressing both substance use and mental health issues) in the Calvert County public school system
• $9,000 for trauma-informed training for therapists and counselors in Caroline County
• $97,000 to support three certified peer-recovery specialists in Carroll County
• $109,000 to support recovery housing and support services in Harford County
• $37,000 to support peer counselor in Howard County detention center
• $74,000 to support expansion of Mission House in Kent County, MD certified recovery residence
• $41,000 to develop an integrated process for planning, policy development, and services for inmates with addiction and mental-health issues in Kent County
• $88,000 to support a Family Peer Support Outreach Specialist for Maryland families who are struggling with substance-use disorders
• $20,000 to train women who are incarcerated as certified peer-recovery specialists
• $61,000 to support a care coordinator and peer outreach associate to help individuals and families suffering from a substance-use disorder
• $12,000 to provide alternative pain-management training to clinicians in St. Mary’s County
• $209,000 to support a sober-living facility for women in Washington County
• $532,000 to support a regional substance-use crisis-stabilization center for Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties
• $70,000 to expand recovery services in Anne Arundel County/Annapolis with Serenity Sistas
• $66,000 to expand recovery services in Calvert County
• $118,000 to support a psychiatrist in Caroline County
• $178,000 to provide behavioral-health services in the Charles County detention center
• $94,000 to expand outreach to families after an overdose death in Frederick County
• $126,000 for a certified peer-recovery specialist in Harford County who will partner with EMS
• $98,000 to support families impacted by substance use statewide
• $46,000 to provide peer-recovery support in Wicomico County

FY 2020 Funding by Jurisdiction

In addition to the foregoing competitive grants, local Opioid Intervention Teams throughout the state will also receive $4 million total in block grants to determine how to best fight the opioid epidemic, as noted in the table below.

“Queen Anne’s County is addressing the current opiate epidemic in a multi-faceted approach,” said Dr. Joseph Ciotola, health officer for Queen Anne’s County.

"In St. Mary's County, many partners are working together to implement a multi-pronged, comprehensive approach to this complex epidemic. We are grateful for the state resources that will allow us to expand access to substance-use treatment services for our residents," said Dr. Mennakshi Brewster, health officer from St. Mary’s County.

“The Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is honored to receive this generous grant from Maryland’s Opioid Operational Command Center,” said Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch, Director and Health Officer. “This award bolsters our efforts of combating the opioid epidemic and expands critical peer recovery support services, including harm-reduction and substance-use disorder treatment efforts.”

“The funding for the Opioid Intervention Teams in Somerset and Wicomico has provided each jurisdiction with funds to address needs identified by the team as a whole,” said Lori Brewster, health officer for the Somerset and Wicomico County health departments.

Allegany: $124,612	Educate and provide outreach about the growing crisis of opioid prescription drugs and heroin misuse in the community.
	Reduce illicit supply of opioids.
	Support peer-recovery services.
	Increase availability of naloxone for first responders.
Anne Arundel: $278,074	Expand public outreach programming to increase awareness and decrease morbidity and mortality from opioid overdoses, as well as reduce the stigma associated with opioid addiction.
	Continued support for Safe Stations.
	Support start-up funding for recovery center.
Baltimore City: $793,719	Continued support for mobile clinic.
	Support access to harm-reduction materials and community-outreach activities.
	Support treatment program for access to medication assisted-treatment and care coordination, case management and health literacy services.
Baltimore Co: $409,565	Continued support for peer recovery services.
Calvert: $108,966	Provide peer-recovery support in the local emergency department.
	Expand access to clinical services and medications that support recovery from substance-use disorders.
	Support medication assisted treatment (MAT) coordinator.
	Increase community awareness.
Caroline: $91,323	Enhance data collection and analysis.
	Support treatment and recovery services.
	Decrease growth in opioid misuse by supporting K-9 program.
Carroll: $137,594	Continuation of mobile crisis services.
Cecil: $130,937	Support youth risk-prevention program.
	Support over-the-counter medication safety training for youth.
	Provide transportation assistance to those in treatment and recovery.
	Support Drug Free Cecil - Youth Leadership Project.
	Expand peer-recovery specialist services in the community.
Charles: $112,960	Support for Opioid Intervention Team (OIT) coordination.
	Expand peer-recovery support services.
	Support harm-reduction programming.
	Increase availability of naloxone for first responders.
	Support and facilitate outreach and public-awareness events.
Dorchester: $90,324	Support for Opioid Intervention Team (OIT) coordination.
	Continued support for drug-free fun and structured youth and young adult activities.
	Support peer-recovery services.
	Support SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) services.
Frederick: $155,237	Expand peer-recovery support services.
Garrett: $85,664	Support Community Resource Team to provide a bridge between identified potential clients and opioid-addiction services.
	Support program to eliminate barriers to recovery.
	Support drug prevention and education program in the school system.
	Support for Opioid Intervention Team (OIT).
Harford: $169,552	Support a central intake, navigation, and recovery team to enhance early identification and interaction for those with substance-use disorder.
Howard: $124,279	Support SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment) services and connection to treatment providers.
Kent: $86,662	Continue to support peer specialist(s) for Opioid Community Intervention Project.
Montgomery: $162,894	Support public-awareness campaign.
	Host four or more community forums on opioid and substance misuse.
	Continue to increase community and police access to naloxone.
	Continued support for Stop Triage Engage Educate Rehabilitate (STEER).
Prince George's: $191,190	Support public-awareness campaign.
	Support outreach efforts to overdose survivors and their families for service connection.
Queen Anne's: $92,654	Support naloxone distribution and training program.
	Support Queen Anne's Go Purple Campaign.
	Support peers-recovery services.
	Support access to medications that support recovery from substance- use disorders.
Somerset: $88,992	Expand law-enforcement support.
	Support peer-recovery support specialist.
	Promote Somerset County Opioid United Team (SCOUT) initiative.
St. Mary's: $107,634	Support peer-recovery support specialist.
	Support for Opioid Intervention Team (OIT) coordination.
	Support treatment services to persons with substance-use disorder who are incarcerated.
Talbot: $92,654	Support for Talbot's Early Intervention Project to connect women during the prenatal period when drug use is identified/suspected with counseling and other support services.
	Provide prevention and intervention for high-risk students and families.
Washington: $148,913	Continued support of opioid crisis response team.
	Support Washington Goes Purple, which educates youth and community about the dangers of prescription pain medication.
Wicomico: $117,288	Support heroin and opioid coordinator for the Wicomico County Goes Purple campaign.
	Support for Opioid Intervention Team (OIT) coordination.
	Support First Responder's Appreciation Dinner.
	Reduce illicit supply of opioids through enforcement.
	Support education and prevention campaign.
Worcester: $98,313	Support peer-recovery specialist assignment in hospital ER.

Before It’s Too Late is the state’s effort to bring awareness to this epidemic - and to mobilize resources
for effective prevention, treatment, and recovery. Marylanders grappling with a substance use disorder
can find help at beforeitstoolate.maryland.gov and 1-800-422-0009, the state crisis hotline.