Baltimore council hearing spotlights harm reduction, naloxone and buprenorphine access as city frames overdose strategy

Baltimore City Councilman Mark Conway (Chair, Public Safety Committee) opened a July 22 hearing on LO 25-0013, calling for city agencies and community partners to coordinate a public-health response to opioid use and rising overdoses.

"Folks this has been I think a hearing a long time in coming," Conway said, noting recent multi-person overdose events in Penn North and the prevalence of overdoses occurring in private residences. The hearing brought health department staff, the mayor's Office of Overdose Response, Baltimore Police Department (BPD), Baltimore City Fire/EMS, Johns Hopkins experts, harm reduction groups and treatment providers to discuss data, service gaps and practical responses.

The hearing focused on five priority areas in the city's draft overdose response strategic plan: addressing inequities, dismantling siloes and improving connections, confronting stigma, increasing access to low-barrier services and improving service quality. Sarah Whaley, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Overdose Response, said the plan grew from a needs assessment and will guide allocation of opioid restitution funds under a…