The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services delivered its biannual public‑health briefing to the County Council on Oct. 21, outlining demographic changes, health‑care access, chronic‑disease trends, infectious diseases, substance‑use mortality and county program updates.

The presentation, given to the council sitting as the Board of Health, emphasized that Montgomery County remains diverse and growing, with population increases concentrated in ZIP codes including Ashton and Clarksburg and declines in portions of Gaithersburg and Spencerville. County health staff said demographic shifts are driven primarily by migration rather than birth rates.

Data and health access: Dr. Davis (Department of Health and Human Services) summarized data sources and cautioned about multi‑year lags in some records. The county reported that in 2023 about 7% of residents lacked health insurance (compared with 6.3% statewide and 7.9% nationally); Hispanic residents had the highest uninsured rate at roughly 22.4%. The share of residents reporting one or more personal doctors rose to about 85% in 2023, though that remained below state averages and varied by group: Asian residents reported the highest rate of having a primary care provider, and Hispanic residents the lowest.

“Having a primary care provider or usual source of care is a really important protective factor,” county staff said, urging continued emphasis on access and outreach.

Leading causes and maternal health: County data show heart disease, cancer and cerebrovascular disease as the top three causes of death (2021–2023). COVID fell from the third to the seventh cause of death in that period. The department reported an increase in the share of births with prenatal care begun in the first trimester (63.4% in 2023), and credited the Healthy Babies Equity Act (effective 2023) for expanding Medicaid access for pregnant individuals regardless of immigration status.

Infectious disease trends: Sean O’Donnell and DHHS staff reported a 2023 uptick in tuberculosis cases, concentrated among foreign‑born residents, with higher incidence among Asian/Pacific Islander and non‑Hispanic Black residents. Gonorrhea rates rose in 2023—highest among men and non‑Hispanic Black residents—with geographic clusters in parts of Silver Spring and Sandy Spring. Maryland state data cited by the county show overall STI diagnoses in 2024 fell compared with 2023.

“Wastewater is showing lower levels of COVID,” county staff said, and a local predictive model suggested hospitalizations were declining. Officials reiterated that vaccinations remain the best available protection against long COVID.

Behavioral health, substance use and overdose response: The county reported rising drug‑induced mortality through 2023 with an age‑adjusted rate of 16.5 per 100,000; males and non‑Hispanic Black residents had higher rates. For calendar year 2025 to date the county cited 54 fatal overdoses, 33 of which included fentanyl. DHHS also reported distribution of 7,203 naloxone (Narcan) kits in 2025 and described an increase in local overdose response programs.

Ben Stevenson, manager for prevention and harm reduction services, outlined state kratom regulation under the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (2024) and said Maryland’s law imposes age limits, product standards and marketing restrictions. Stevenson said enforcement resources are limited and that much enforcement is complaint‑driven.

Trauma services and intimate‑partner violence: Monica Martin, chief of behavioral health and crisis services, said DHHS saw a 17% increase in trauma‑service requests from FY24 to FY25 and a 41% increase in new non‑residential clients, including a 22% increase in victim advocacy services. She said ER visits for intimate‑partner violence have risen since 2020 and are higher in the county than Maryland overall; non‑Hispanic Black and Hispanic residents had higher intimate‑partner‑violence‑related ER visit rates. Martin said outreach, screening improvements and immigration‑related fears are factors in help‑seeking patterns.

Program updates: DHHS provided several operational updates. The mobile health clinic completed screenings and clinical encounters across 12 ZIP codes (1,691 screenings; 458 clinical encounters including 198 medical, 176 dental and 84 mental‑health visits). The East County Dental pilot—funded in the recent county budget—has recruited community dental providers in Wheaton and the North Silver Spring/Colesville border and plans phased starts with pediatric dentistry next month and general dentistry in December; additional partners are expected in January 2026. Program staff said phase‑2 (more complex restorative care) will be available if approved and deemed medically urgent.

DHHS also described rollout of Community Connect, a digital portal to streamline resident intake and eligibility for DHHS programs; early modules include childcare support, Care for Kids and dental, with rental assistance and housing stabilization planned for later phases.

Suicide and crisis care: County suicide mortality increased in 2024 (a 13% rise in absolute numbers compared with 2023), though Montgomery County’s overall suicide rate remains lower than the Maryland and national rates. DHHS said ER visits for suicide attempts were down through Oct. 16, 2025 compared with full‑year 2024, and emphasized continuing monitoring and crisis‑response capacity, including mobile crisis teams and residential crisis services.

Next steps and fiscal considerations: DHHS said it will provide a deeper briefing on federal Medicaid and ACA implementation (referred to as “HR1” in the presentation) at the council’s Nov. 4 meeting, and will continue to report on East County Dental pilot metrics, Community Connect rollout and other program outcomes.

Council members asked for follow‑up on definitions of metrics (for example, the county’s measure of “homes sold at an affordable price”), outreach and communications strategies, enforcement and education around kratom, Narcan availability and distribution channels, and ways to expand access for seniors, men and other groups with lower service use.