BALTIMORE - The Maryland Stop Opioid Overdose Strategy, or Maryland S-O-S program, launches town hall meetings this week to address ways to combat the health crisis that has skyrocketed during the pandemic.

Starting in Allegheny County on Thursday, the meetings are a chance for Marylanders to talk about their struggles and hear methods for helping opioid users, according to Robin Rickard, director of Maryland's Opioid Operational Command Center.

She said officials were encouraged when the state's opioid deaths dropped in 2019 for the first time in years. But they're now taking a more aggressive approach.

"Right when the numbers started going down, COVID hit," said Rickard. "So last year, Maryland went up 18%, as a nation 30%. Maryland did do better than the national average - but again, we're not happy with that."

She said the town halls are a chance to hear about what works and what isn't working following the worst year on record for overdose deaths.

Thursday's meeting at Allegheny College in Cumberland starts at 5 o'clock. More information is online at 'BeforeItsTooLate.maryland.gov,' or on the Maryland S-O-S Facebook page.

Rickard said she thinks it's important to realize opioid abuse isn't just a rural problem in Maryland.

"Fentanyl is what the driving force is, and it's everywhere," said Rickard. "And at these Maryland town hall meetings, we will be educating the public and the community of what the statistics are in their jurisdiction, as compared to other jurisdictions."

She pointed out the S-O-S initiative also aims to educate people about the state's Opioid Restitution Fund. Created in 2019 by the General Assembly, it includes money from opioid manufacturers' lawsuit settlements for treatment and recovery services.

"We're not spending any of this money until we hear from all the Marylanders," said Rickard, "from treatment providers, from state and local partners, because we want to make the best decisions that we possibly can."

A record-breaking 2,500 Marylanders died of opioid overdoses in 2020.

The numbers continue to rise - from January to March of this year, 614 residents died of opioid abuse. That's almost a 6% increase from the same time last year.

By Kyla Russell for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

After they were long considered paraphernalia, fentanyl test strips are now officially legal in Indiana.

According to recent data, fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths in the state. Until this month, if someone was found with the lifesaving strips, it would be up to the local prosecutor to decide if they would face charges for violating the state's paraphernalia laws.

A bipartisan effort changed that reality by passing House Enrolled Act No. 1167.

"Any resident should and can access test strips," Director of Harm Reduction at Overdose Lifeline Breanna Hicks said. "Our former paraphernalia law said that anything that tests the 'presence, efficacy or effectiveness of a substance, an illicit substance,' could be considered paraphernalia. So, while fentanyl test strips only test for presence, that was a gray area in law in jurisdictions across Indiana."

Local harm reduction organizations say the law fueled fear for people hoping to distribute the strips. The concern prompted them to push for change.

"There's this false narrative that access to test strips are going to encourage substance use or encourage drug use, in general, especially to populations that are younger," Hicks said. "However, that's just not true, harm reduction is a proven practice that allows for individuals to make healthier and better decisions."

Hicks says the strips can be used to test drugs purchased off the street.

When the small strips are submerged in water, they can detect the synthetic drug in 30 seconds to two minutes. According to the Marion County Coroner, the drug was found in over 90% of opioid overdoses in Indianapolis last year.

"Fentanyl overdoses are now the number one cause of death for anybody age 18 to 45," Hicks said. "Indiana falls in that range as well, to where we're seeing fentanyl being the most prevalent cause of accidental overdose death."

Overdose Lifeline is one of the organizations distributing the test strips. To request strips, click here.


Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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Kentucky's latest drug overdose fatality report showed a drop in deaths and for the first time, a decline in deaths among Black Kentuckians.

Groups across the Commonwealth have been working to increase access to harm reduction services.

Latosha Perry, executive director of the Louisville-based nonprofit EmpowHer with Open Arms, said her organization provides prevention services to adolescents as well as group and individual therapy for adults who are typically required to be in therapy in order to see their children.

"Some struggling with addiction or just now coming out of incarceration, they don't have the money to cover those expenses," Perry explained. "It typically decreases the rate of them reunifying with their family."

Overdose deaths in the Commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a slightly more than 30% decrease in 2024, compared with the previous year. Still, more than 1,400 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose.

Ashley Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit agribusiness Black Soil Kentucky, said her organization has distributed Narcan units and provided training to farmers so they are equipped to act as first responders.

"We have worked to pair education outreach and technical assistance with direct produce distributions across rural and urban communities," Smith pointed out.

Both organizations received grant funding from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky for their harm reduction efforts.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357) to get assistance connecting with a treatment center. Information about treatment programs is available at FindHelpNowKy.org, and information about how to obtain naloxone is available at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org.


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As Women's Health Month winds down, public health officials in Minnesota are joining the chorus of professionals warning about the prevalence of alcohol misuse, and the added health risks for women.

Problem drinking among women is on the rise, according to the National Institutes of Health.

When compared to men, women have had larger increases in alcohol-related emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the past two decades.

Division of Epidemiology & Community Health at the University of Minnesota Professor Toben Nelson said men still drink more, but agrees it's a pressing issue for women.

He noted the significant health consequences if they develop a problem.

"A real concern for younger women - when alcohol is involved, the risks for interpersonal violence are very significant," said Nelson. "Also, injuries related to falling, that is certainly a concern as one ages."

According to federal health agencies, frequent alcohol consumption is also linked to a greater chance of developing breast cancer.

It's recommended that adult women of legal drinking age limit their alcohol intake to one drink or fewer each day.

The NIH website Rethinking Drinking has information on signs of a problem, and how to manage and respond to these situations.

For broader prevention work, Nelson encouraged bars, restaurants, and policymakers to embrace effective strategies.

"Responsible beverage service training in places that serve alcohol," said Nelson, "and also restrictions on alcohol outlet density."

He was referring to limits on approving the number of liquor stores and similar outlets in a given area.

UnitedHealthcare's Chief Medical Officer for Women's Health Dr. Lisa Saul pointed to how alcohol is marketed toward women these days.

"Terminology," said Saul, "like 'it's wine o'clock,' or 'mommy juice,' - those sorts of things have really normalized the consumption of alcohol in ways that we didn't really see before."