Executive Director appointed to Baltimore City's Opioid Restitution Advisory Board

Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott has appointed an Executive Director of the city's 20-member Opioid Restitution Advisory Board.

Sara Whaley, who served as Scott's senior advisor for public health since August 2024, helped craft Scott's executive order outlining how the city would use the $242.5 million in settlement funds stemming from a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies.

Whaley, who previously served as Scott's senior public health advisor and Program Director at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will coordinate the city's response to the overdose epidemic and co-chair the advisory board. 

The 17 voting members of the Restitution Advisory Board include eight individuals with lived experience, medical professionals, and city officials. 

"The Restitution Advisory Board is bringing together a remarkable group of Baltimoreans of diverse backgrounds, race, gender, and experience who are united by their commitment to tackling the overdose crisis in our city," Scott said.

Baltimore addresses the opioid crisis

The board, comprised of Baltimore City residents, will guide the use of funds recovered by the city after a string of settlements with pharmaceutical companies, including Walgreens, CVS, Cardinal Health, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson. The city argued that the companies helped fuel the opioid epidemic in the city. 

The city is continuing to gather community input from residents through an online form.

In addition, the city also drafted an Accountability and Transparency Plan which outlines efforts to track and share how the settlement funds are allocated and the impact that they have.

Last week, Governor Wes Moore reported that in Maryland, opioid deaths declined dramatically in 2024.