[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6176052,"mediaKeyId","5350181-19a8beacfde0b11c8a6c353b6b2277ca","parentId",5350181,"title","Baltimore public testimony splits on harm reduction: advocates call for overdose-prevention centers and low-barrier housing; some neighbors oppose mobile needle","audioSeconds",2165,"startMs",302000,"endMs",2467000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5350181-19a8beacfde0b11c8a6c353b6b2277ca&start=302&end=2467","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5350181-19a8beacfde0b11c8a6c353b6b2277ca/thumbnail_302000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6176052/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Baltimore-public-testimony-splits-on-harm-reduction-advocates-call-for-overdose-prevention-centers-and-low-barrier-housing-some-neighbors-oppose-mobile-needle","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6176052-bbbb4831b4fba71cdc812ac02e578c8d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440298&Signature=WPI-0Ki9iDVeUC2wGqB-gf6VcsIvH0KNsC08WZmv57J5MSHny2E2U2ukNcWYxDWXIzkbyw59k0cQiHJVQXwPgM1Zcrlsgtee7yboANUfBY~f-hGB5BBkOn25UiDKk6q9WJtRgmrN~MkyVqVhCDHpIsSIILQkXeYf5-wgjJJW1gR3YyRpm3Y3ModiUkEuEI~UfA3DFcNoNqMw5Q9QRiyXlJnc1PQ1-o17f5TYAAZyvFWRFTi2HOrPTgrc24-0U5IrDd4xAQvXNjOhcWqQfSUde2mtKVbO3EAp8dLaesvJ4YK2a3mysbdFh-91SLZpajn3aBZHdumNqlYdIlJWwA1T4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Baltimore, MD","date","2025-07-10T11:49:00.447Z","article","Public testimony at a Baltimore City Council hearing on the opioid crisis featured sharply divergent perspectives on harm reduction: service providers and advocates urged expansion of syringe service programs, overdose-prevention centers and low-barrier supportive housing, while some neighborhood residents said mobile clinics and syringe distribution have increased needle litter and neighborhood harm.

\"Sterile syringes reduce the transference of HIV and hepatitis C,\" Darcy Kerwin Garber said. Garber, policy manager at the Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, told the committee state law that classifies syringes as controlled paraphernalia discourages people from using syringe programs because of fear of policing and confiscation.

Several advocates called for overdose-prevention centers (also called supervised consumption sites) and more low-barrier drop-in centers offering case management, showers and immediate access to treatment. Ricardo Burks, a case manager with Health Care for the Homeless, said stable housing is fundamental: \"If we want to reduce opioid-related deaths, we must treat housing as a health care problem,\" he said. August Page, a social worker at Spark, and Kola, a Bridges Coalition leader, echoed the call for low-barrier services and same-day access.

Service providers described existing programs. Health Department officials said the city's syringe services program operates mobile services at 12 sites and that the department has partnered with eight additional community syringe programs. The department reported distributing more than 13 million syringes and collecting about 8 million syringes between January 2014 and June 2024, and said a harm-reduction vending machine and sharps drop boxes have been piloted.

Not all public testimony supported expanding mobile services. Angela Cruz Williams, president of the Morrow Park Community Association, said mobile clinics distributing needles, Suboxone and paraphernalia have caused needle litter and medication diversion in her neighborhood. \"Needle litter has become a huge concern,\" she said, describing incidents in which a child nearly stepped on a used needle and a local business found blood-filled syringes outside its doors. She asked the city to prioritize neighborhood safety and suggested enforcing petty-crime laws and family- or faith-based rehabilitation outside city limits.

Other residents described the visible presence of people using drugs, tents and public drug use in neighborhoods such as Marlborough Park and Laurel Park and said the conditions are harming children and local businesses. Charlene Beas and Jody Jackson recounted concerns about safety, theft and public drug use on neighborhood corridors.

Several public speakers also urged improved coordination and speed of services. Ben McCormick, executive director of New Life Recovery Center, said providers must \"take our program to the street\" and offer immediate access because \"if we cannot get a person into treatment immediately, 9 times out of 10, we'll lose them.\" Bakari Bridal, an outreach worker, emphasized the need for more drop-in centers and low-barrier case management.

City leaders listening at the hearing acknowledged both the calls to expand harm reduction and the neighborhood concerns. Councilwoman Felicia Porter said the city must balance community safety and harm-reduction efficacy and signaled continued oversight as the administration develops and funds programs.

Ending: The draft strategic plan and upcoming listening sessions will be the next opportunity for residents and providers to offer input; no votes or ordinances on mobile clinics or paraphernalia law changes were taken at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Hearing: Public Health; July 9, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Public testimony at a Baltimore City Council hearing on the opioid crisis showed a split: harm-reduction advocates urged overdose-prevention centers, low-barrier services and housing; some neighborhood residents said mobile clinics distributing syringes and medication have increased litter and safety problems.","taxTitle","Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Maryland","taxId",4816,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6176057,"Baltimore agencies unveil needs assessment and draft strategic plan to guide $restitution funding for overdose response",3036,2586000,5622000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5350181-19a8beacfde0b11c8a6c353b6b2277ca&start=2586&end=5622","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5350181-19a8beacfde0b11c8a6c353b6b2277ca/thumbnail_2586000.jpg","/articles/6176057/Baltimore-City/Baltimore-County/Maryland/Baltimore-agencies-unveil-needs-assessment-and-draft-strategic-plan-to-guide-restitution-funding-for-overdose-response","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6176057-0786a0ea0cef22eb3eeae06f2438d58c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440298&Signature=gI0mvDmGK9DsxsfPsp2QfYBu2dmWVwNZyQ7CaFxYGlnujy7Ls4AgEj0cQ1pWPCgZrX6rSmG0nCQYU3rOkfBbjcqUQfFW~nCeXnx4bsr2OKM8VsRmVtf51S~szhWno9T8VaHwRYDjrpH~MDQr6iJTG7yrhKQwYJSt3PPWlmaDmS6Mkxhzh~hU5OX6cfXB2tJYdOqYlDbAOiW9WSuEKZ6IIIYGSZzIskyLznDpPEv45-UkdaqKW9-iZCkHBVEgCUHmM8g7kDnlI9xKFbKRVdvE3R5FNvVG1nKCAx8oU83csfL1muszuS-7F2L-PbM7axknPJi20PkgUzuzsC-gIYSLcQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Baltimore City officials on Tuesday released a citywide needs assessment and a draft strategic plan to guide spending of opioid restitution funds and to coordinate the city's response to the opioid and overdose crisis.

The plan, presented by the mayor's office of overdose response and the Baltimore City Health Department, lays out five priorities: reducing racial disparities in overdose deaths, dismantling service silos, reducing stigma and barriers to care, expanding low-barrier services citywide, and improving the quality of substance-use services. The draft strategic plan and the needs assessment are open for public comment through August, city officials said.

The assessment compiles quantitative and qualitative data from more than a dozen sources and interviews with people with lived experience, providers and city agencies. \"We must target our interventions based on those inequities,\" said Dr. Leticia Gerasa, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, noting rising overdose mortality among Black residents in recent years. \"This is public work meant to be shaped by residents, advocates, providers, and system leaders alike,\" Gerasa added.

City officials described steps already under way that the plan would coordinate. Sarah Whaley, director of the mayor's office of overdose response, described the office's role in implementing the mayor's executive order on restitution funds and convening the 19-member restitution advisory board. The board, sworn in earlier this year, has developed its mission and is preparing to release an RFP for $2 million in community grants, Whaley said.

Health department officials said some funding priorities are already allocated or committed. The administration has set aside $10 million for 988 education and outreach, a $15 million investment for a round-the-clock comprehensive outreach team operated by the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services, and dedicated $20 million for health department infrastructure, officials said. Sarah Whaley and agency aides characterized the sums as part of a broader, multi-year plan tied to the city's opioid settlement money.

Speakers outlined agency programs that the strategic plan would tie together. The Health Department described its syringe services program (mobile services at 12 sites), a \"levels of care\" hospital certification for treating opioid use disorder, a \"staying alive\" naloxone training program that distributed more than 13,000 naloxone kits in 2023'24, a harm-reduction vending-machine pilot that has dispensed over 5,500 kits, and nine placed sharps-drop boxes (the first three collected more than 450 pounds of syringes). The department also reported long-term counts: from January 2014 through June 2024 the city's syringe services program logged about 170,000 client visits, more than 13 million syringes distributed and roughly 8 million syringes returned.

Behavioral Health System Baltimore and city leaders described other system-building efforts: embedding clinicians in 911 call centers, expanding 988 capacity, increasing mobile crisis teams (an 80% rise in daily mobile crisis shifts over the past year), and creating an open-access intake approach to offer same- or next-day behavioral health appointments. The city also has been conducting sentinel event reviews'structured, multi-agency case studies after behavioral-health tragedies'to produce system-level recommendations, Ali Smith of the Baltimore Behavioral Health Collaborative said.

The Baltimore Fire Department outlined a population-health unit launched after ambulance supplemental payment funding. Chief James Matts said that unit has had contact with roughly 600 patients and left behind approximately 16,000 naloxone kits (about 32,000 doses), and that the program is associated with a 28'30% reduction in repeated 911 calls for opioid-related incidents.

Officials emphasized next steps and community engagement. The draft plan is presented as a two-year tactical roadmap within a longer funding horizon; the administration's stated goal is a 40% reduction in overdose deaths by 2040, measured against 2023 data, officials said. The city has scheduled listening sessions across neighborhoods and opened a public comment form online.

Council members pressed for rapid, sustained interagency execution and for regular briefings to council offices on overdose data. \"We need to connect those dots and utilize the infrastructure of the council's offices along with the mayoral offices and community organizations,\" Councilwoman Felicia Porter said. Several council members asked the health department and the mayor's office for regular updates and data briefings.

The plan and its recommended investments will be revised after public comment and through the restitution advisory board process, officials said.

Ending: The administration said additional details about program timelines and grant awards will be released at follow-up hearings and through the mayor's office web page; the draft plan remains open for comment through August.","City agencies and the mayor's office presented a needs assessment and draft strategic plan that map priorities for opioid-restoration funds, including expanded 988 outreach, 24/7 outreach teams, housing placements and investments in low-barrier treatment and harm-reduction services. Documents are open for public comment through August.","actionData","errors"]

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Baltimore public testimony splits on harm reduction: advocates call for overdose-prevention centers and low-barrier housing; some neighbors oppose mobile needle

Baltimore agencies unveil needs assessment and draft strategic plan to guide $restitution funding for overdose response