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Anne Arundel health department highlights equity plan, maternal health dashboard and overdose prevention work
Summary
The department presented a multi-pronged strategy: a public health equity plan, a maternal and infant health program with a public dashboard, continued overdose-prevention work with declining fatal and non-fatal overdoses, and a new family support proposal funded by opioid abatement grants.
At the Oct. 14 Board of Health briefing, Anne Arundel County—s Health Department presented its ongoing strategic initiatives including a health equity plan, maternal and infant health work, expanded community health ambassadors and overdose-prevention programs.
Health equity and strategic planning: Gedna summarized an equity plan focused on chronic disease, youth well-being, behavioral health, maternal and infant health, access to care and social determinants. The department is finalizing a strategic planning cycle that began in 2022 and is launching new staff training, a policy and procedures platform and a learning-and-development curriculum.
Maternal and infant health: The department described a maternal and infant health task force and public dashboard that shows breastfeeding rates, preterm births and leading causes of infant death, disaggregated by race and geography. Gedna said maternal disparities — especially among Black non-Hispanic women — are a primary focus and that a maternity community advisory council with lived-experience members is advising work.
Overdose prevention and opioid-abatement initiatives: The department reported continuing decreases in nonfatal and fatal opioid overdoses (lowest annual totals since tracking began). Measures credited include naloxone access, aggressive outreach after nonfatal overdoses (attempts made seven days a week; contact reached ~50% of those attempted), vending-machine distribution of harm-reduction supplies and strategic opioid-abatement grants to community providers.
Family support for overdose-bereaved households: The department outlined a developing proposal to deploy opioid-abatement funds to support families bereaved by overdose, including mental-health services for children, immediate needs such as funeral assistance and prevention services to break intergenerational cycles of use. Gedna said the county is studying Boston—s recently launched model and hopes to bring a more concrete proposal to the board in spring 2026.
Quotable: "We've continued to see a decrease in all overdoses and a decrease in fatal overdoses," Gedna said, and described outreach outcomes: about 32 people indicated they wanted treatment after contact following a nonfatal overdose.
