Pubdate: Tue, 24 Jan 2017
Source: Baltimore Sun (MD)
Copyright: 2017 The Baltimore Sun Company
Contact:  http://www.baltimoresun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37

HOGAN, RUTHERFORD ANNOUNCE HEROIN INITIATIVES FOR 2017

Governor Hogan announces heroin crisis initiatives

Governor Larry Hogan announces a number of new initiatives to combat the
statewide heroin crisis at a press conference at Anne Arundel Medical
Center in Annapolis. (Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette)

Governor Larry Hogan announces a number of new initiatives to combat the
statewide heroin crisis at a press conference at Anne Arundel Medical
Center in Annapolis. (Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette)

Gov. Larry Hogan and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford came to Anne Arundel Medical
Center Tuesday to announce new initiatives aimed at combating a rising
tide of heroin abuse across the state.

Hogan and Rutherford spoke on the Heroin and Opioid Prevention, Treatment
and Enforcement Initiative, a package of bills they will be introducing in
the General Assembly that address heroin abuse through prevention,
treatment and law enforcement.

"It's getting more and more dangerous," Hogan said of heroin abuse, which
in Anne Arundel County resulted in more than twice the number of deaths as
in 2015. "As this crisis evolves, so must our response to it."

Among the administration's proposals this year is a bill that would limit
the amount of opiates Maryland doctors can prescribe to patients at one
time. Many heroin addicts begin by getting hooked on prescription
painkillers given to them after surgery, Rutherford said.

The lieutenant governor, who headed an opioid task force that looked at
ways to address heroin abuse in the state, said the change would help to
"cut that pipeline of new users."

Another initiative, the Overdose Prevention Act, would authorize local
review teams to examine data from non-fatal heroin overdoses to look for
trends that might contribute to possible solutions.

[video] Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams describes how the
heroin crisis has affected his own family. (Ian Duncan/Baltimore Sun
video)

Reviews of fatal overdoses have already been approved by the state; Anne
Arundel's Overdose Fatality Review Team was established in 2014.

Treatment providers will soon be able to accept more patients under a
recently approved waiver that allows Medicaid recipients to use their
coverage at non-hospital treatment centers, Rutherford said. The
governor's budget also proposes $4 million in new funding aimed at
addiction treatment, he said.

On the enforcement end, the Hogan administration proposed legislation that
would ramp up penalties for drug dealers by changing the law so that
someone who deals opiates linked to a fatal overdose would face a felony
punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Governor Larry Hogan announces a number of new initiatives to combat the
statewide heroin crisis at a press conference at Anne Arundel Medical
Center in Annapolis. (Joshua McKerrow)

Hogan and Rutherford were joined at the press conference by local
officials, including Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh, county
State's Attorney Wes Adams and AAMC CEO Victoria Bayless.

Adams shared a personal story of heroin's effect. Eight days ago, he said,
his family had buried his brother-in-law, who died of an overdose earlier
this month.

Though his brother-in-law went through treatment and got sober twice, his
third stint in rehabilitation was met with insurance issues, Adams said:
"the challenge to keep people in beds is huge."

This story will be updated.
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