Anne Arundel health officials unveil pilot for families bereaved by opioid overdose, outline Medicaid, vaccine and violence‑intervention plans

Dr. Tony Gdon, director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health, used the council’s April 14 work session to lay out a series of new and expanding public‑health efforts, including a summer pilot to aid families who have lost a parent or guardian to opioid overdose.

The pilot is aimed at funeral‑ and recovery‑stage supports for children and families who live in Anne Arundel County. "We're starting at about $5,000 for a family with one child, about 2,500 additional dollars for every child subsequent," Gdon said, describing the cash support as one piece of a broader package that also will help families navigate county resources. The program will work with partners including the Department of Social Services, Department of Aging and Disabilities, the school system and hospice providers, and the department said it expects to launch the pilot in July.

Gdon framed the pilot as both direct assistance and an entry point for other services — case management, benefits navigation and connections to education supports. She also said the county is exploring post‑secondary scholarship options for young adults who lost a parent in the last two years.

The presentation covered broader department priorities. Gdon said roughly 60% of the department’s budget comes from county general funds, there are about $25 million in grant funds (state and federal passthroughs), and the department currently employs about 845 people with 933 budgeted positions. She described a new strategic planning cycle for 2026 and a progress report from the prior 2023–2025 plan.

On Medicaid preparations, Gdon warned the council the county is planning for significant demand. State changes will increase renewal frequency and create new work‑requirement interactions for roughly 24,000 county residents, she said, and the department is recruiting five additional eligibility/enrollment specialists, expanding hours and preparing enrollment centers in Glen Burnie and Annapolis. "We want to make sure that people in Anne Arundel County are not facing really long wait times," she said, noting the state has not yet finalized paperwork and exemption rules the county must follow.

Gdon also reviewed vaccine developments: the Maryland Vax Act gives the state secretary authority to set certain state‑level immunization recommendations, and the county has been adding adult vaccine access through a January program for uninsured and underinsured adults; she said the county has provided vaccines to 82 adults through that state program so far. The presentation included disease surveillance items — respiratory season trends, influenza hospitalizations and county vaccination counts — and a warning about rising national measles activity.

Public‑safety and prevention programs were also highlighted. Gdon said the county received a $1 million federal earmark for gun‑violence intervention over two years that will focus on northern county and be delivered through a community‑based organization. She noted prior assessments by Cure Violence Global in Glen Burnie and Brooklyn Park and said the county will select one community site to operate an evidence‑based violence interruption model.

Council members were given the briefing for review and told they will sit as the Board of Health in May, when they will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide direction. The county will return with implementation details and more specific operational guidance as state rules and grant terms finalize.