County health officer reports drop in overdoses, describes new youth treatment and prevention programs

Dr. Keisha Davis, Montgomery County’s health officer, told the council the county recorded 83 fatal overdoses in calendar year 2024, 48 of which involved fentanyl, and that countywide fatal overdoses were down about 40% while fentanyl-involved deaths were down about 52% compared with previous reporting periods.

Davis cautioned that counts for younger age groups are small and often suppressed in public data: "When we look at youth under 22, there were less than 11 overdose fatalities in both 2023 and 2024," she said, noting suppression rules prevent publishing exact school-by-school counts. She also highlighted disparities: Hispanic and African American youth experienced higher counts during the COVID years, and the county has seen a relative increase in overdoses among people aged 55 and older.

Sarah Rose, director of local behavioral health, described expanded treatment capacity for adolescents. A residential withdrawal-management contract began Aug. 31, 2024; since opening, 26 youth have been admitted (15 from Montgomery County) with a 77% completion rate and an average stay of about 14 days. Rose said the program had been available to males only but would open to all referrals starting Monday the 27th. "So far since opening, there have been 26 youth who have been admitted to the residential program, 15 of which were from Montgomery County, and there has been a 77 percent completion rate," she said.

Rose also summarized outpatient and early-intervention services: the Journeys intensive outpatient program in Rockville served 177 youth last fiscal year; the Suburban Hospital Addiction Treatment Center served about 30 youth last year, with outreach underway to boost referrals and reduce wait lists. The county operates a Child and Adolescent Assessment Services team (two therapists) that screened 227 youth in the first two quarters of FY25 and provides referrals to treatment as needed.

Landa Good Martin, chief of behavioral health and crisis services, emphasized prevention and cross-sector partnerships. She described expansion plans for the Botvin life-skills curriculum in secondary schools, an increase in the "Be The 1" youth ambassador program to 53 ambassadors across 13 schools, and partnerships with community groups to deliver culturally informed prevention. Martin also described the Overdose Prevention Team (OPT), a state-required multi-sector body chaired by the local health department that advises on opioid-abatement funding and meets regularly to shape local strategy.

Councilmembers asked about data sources, noting the youth behavioral risk survey has a two-year lag; Davis and colleagues said they were combining state overdose dashboards, EMS, hospital and local epidemiology to form a fuller picture. Members also discussed service access (transportation to residential facilities was included in contracts) and low acceptance rates for field-initiated buprenorphine inductions reported nationally.

Officials said they will continue monitoring trends, expand outreach and prevention, and require evaluation metrics for grantees and programs funded by the settlement money.