Anne Arundel County Executive Declares Heroin Public Health Emergency

An escalating number of overdose deaths prompted Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh declared a heroin public health emergency in the county on Tuesday.

Schuh’s executive order directs county agencies to use “all best efforts” to eliminate the use of heroin in Anne Arundel County.

“While we will not win this war overnight, we must act now by taking steps to turn the tide of heroin abuse in our county,” Schuh said. “By declaring this county in the midst of a heroin public health emergency, our county departments can shift their resources to address this mounting crisis.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has termed the statewide issue a “heroin epidemic.” Hogan says he plans to allocate resources statewide for battling the issue, Patch previously reported.

State Attorney John McCarthy says the upsurge in use of the highly addictive drug has led to more deaths from overdose than homicides. He says in neighboring Montgomery County alone there are a suspected 14,000 heroin users every day.

Related: County, State Experience ‘Heroin Epidemic’

Joining Schuh on Tuesday were members of the newly formed Heroin Action Taskforce, a group comprised of government officials, including Police Chief Tim Altomare, County Health Officer Jinlene Chan, School Superintendent George Arlotto, States Attorney Wes Adams, Sheriff Ron Bateman and Annapolis Mayor Mike Pantelides. Suggestions from the group will form the basis for the county’s Heroin Action Plan.

In March 2014, Anne Arundel County began training police officers to administer naxolene, commonly known as Narcan, a drug that is known to quickly reverse the effects of a heroin overdose.

Officer Justin Goods from Annapolis even managed to save a man from a suspected heroin overdose just ten minutes after he had finished training on how to administer the drug.

“We are supportive of the county’s urgent efforts to put policies in place to improve intervention and access to treatment,” said Victoria Bayless, president and CEO of Anne Arundel Medical Center who hosted the event. “Drug and alcohol abuse is rampant in every area of this community — it’s a disease just like cancer or heart disease or diabetes. Children, men and women deserve the same compassion, support and care that patients with other disease receive.

Two Anne Arundel County citizens, Ann Youngblood and Eileen Bolotin, also attended the announcement on Tuesday and described how the heroin epidemic personally impacted their lives. Youngblood lost a son to an overdose. Bolotin is the mother of three teenage girls, one of whom is battling a heroin addiction.

Read Also

• County, State Experience ‘Heroin Epidemic’
• Police Learn to Administer Narcan in Case of Heroin Overdose
• Annapolis Officer Saves Heroin User Minutes After Completing Training