Federal Grant To Support Heroin Response in Baltimore

By Sarah Gantz
Baltimore Business Journal

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen wants the city’s emergency departments to play a bigger role in addressing residents’ heroin and substance abuse problems.

Along with local emergency department leaders, the city’s health department is developing a program that would better connect patients with counselors, specialists and treatment for substance abuse. The project will be backed by Baltimore’s share of a $815,000 federal grant awarded to the state health department for medication-supported substance abuse programs.

“The general sense is we need to target people at the moment they’re coming in for help — on-demand help,” Wen said. “If they’re coming into the ER, we need to have help for them then.”

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