For immediate release:
August 28, 2015

Contact:
Erin Montgomery erin.montgomery@maryland.gov
Eric Shirk eric.shirk@maryland.gov
410-974-2316

Governor Larry Hogan Declares Aug. 30 – Sept. 5 Overdose Awareness Week in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Reaffirming the administration’s goal of preventing substance abuse and overdose deaths, Governor Larry Hogan today issued a statewide proclamation declaring the week of Sunday, August 30, to Saturday, September 5, to be Overdose Awareness Week in Maryland.

“The toll that addiction and overdose deaths have taken on our communities, state, and region has been devastating,” Governor Hogan said. “Our administration is committed to finding the best and most effective solutions to this crisis, and our Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force is hard at work developing comprehensive strategies to address this problem. I encourage all Marylanders to come together during Overdose Awareness Week, to support all of our families and citizens suffering from addiction and substance abuse.”

In 2014, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) reported 1,039 drug- and alcohol-related overdose deaths in the state. “Overdose Awareness Week highlights the significance of this public health crisis and seeks to create public awareness of the damage addiction and drug abuse inflicts on our families and communities,” Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford said.

Earlier this week, the Heroin & Opioid Emergency Task Force, chaired by the Lt. Governor, released its interim report.

During Overdose Awareness Week, communities will host such events as candlelight vigils, public art installations, and public hearings. The DHMH’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) will host a naloxone conference to bring together stakeholders who work on overdose education and naloxone distribution in the state to share information on regulations and tools such as the state’s Overdose Response Program.

Local jurisdictions and DHMH will coordinate additional events throughout the week. For more information about Overdose Awareness Week in Maryland, contact DHMH at 410-402-8590. For more information on the tools Maryland is using to battle our region’s substance abuse epidemic, visit DHMH’s website at www.dhmh.maryland.gov.

2015 Overdose Awareness Week Events

Friday, Aug. 28

Kick-off Event for Overdose Awareness Week and National Recovery Month: Hot Dogs in the Park, hosted by Somerset County Health Department
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Manokin River Park
11840 Somerset Avenue
Princess Anne, MD 21853

Sunday, Aug. 30

Overdose Vigil (Cecil County)
6 p.m. to dusk
Gilbert Lighthouse Pavilion, Northeast Community Park
106 S. Main St.
North East, MD 21901

Candlelight Vigil (Baltimore County)
7 p.m.
Towson Court House Fountain Square
Towson, MD

Monday, Aug. 31

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Visits Hope House Treatment Center (Anne Arundel County)
11 a.m.
Hope House
26 Marbury Dr.
Crownsville, MD 21032

International Overdose Awareness Day – Film viewing and discussion of “The Hungry Heart” (St. Mary’s County)
6 to 8:30 p.m.
Farming 4 Hunger
6932 Serenity Farm Road
Hughesville, MD

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Naloxone Training Lunch and Learn (Harford County)
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
County Council Office
212 S. Bond St.
Bel Air, MD

Friday, Sept. 11

National Recovery Month Event: “Join the Voices of Recovery: Visible, Vocal, Valuable” (Baltimore County)
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
BHA’s Spring Grove Hospital Campus, Rice Auditorium
55 Wade Ave.
Catonsville, MD 21228