Baltimore health department highlights Overdose Awareness Day
The Baltimore City Health Department recognized Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday, which is marked on August 31.
City leaders, including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, City Council President Zeke Cohen, and others, honored those who have lost their lives to overdoses and promoted prevention efforts.
The event included guest speakers, a memorial ceremony, educational resources, and information on community services. It comes nearly a month after a mass overdose in West Baltimore that left more than two dozen people hospitalized.
Mass overdose in Penn North
On July 10, a mass overdose event devastated West Baltimore's Penn North community. Emergency responders were called to the intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues, where they treated more than two dozen suspected drug overdoses.
Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said that 27 people were found ill and hospitalized, including seven in critical condition and 15 in serious condition.
While Baltimore City has not confirmed what was in the bad batch of drugs, a federal laboratory identified fentanyl and sedatives. Residents in the area told WJZ that the drug was being given out as a "tester" and was called New Jack City.
It was allegedly laced with freon or antifreeze, which can poison people. Officials, however, have not confirmed this.
Baltimore working hard to tackle opioid crisis
The opioid crisis has hit Baltimore hard, with over 6,000 deaths in six years, disproportionately impacting Black residents between 55 and 70 years old.
According to Baltimore City's Overdose Needs Assessment, overdose deaths are going down, but the city still leads metro areas nationally in overdose mortality.
For months, Baltimore has been working to address the ongoing opioid crisis. The city made headway after securing settlements against multiple pharmaceutical distributors, including CVS, Teva, and Cardinal Health, that were held responsible in court for contributing to the crisis.
The settlements totaled up to $402 million. Mayor Scott signed an executive order establishing the Baltimore City Opioid Restitution Fund and creating oversight positions to determine how the funding will be used to combat opioid addiction.
The city has also held community meetings to gather feedback from residents on how best to address the crisis.
