July 26th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan and Maryland's Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC) today announced $10 million in block and competitive grant awards to help support programs around the state to address the opioid crisis. The grant funding, which will be distributed between July 2022 and June 2023, will be used to support the Hogan-Rutherford administration’s policy priorities of Prevention & Education, Enforcement & Public Safety, and Treatment & Recovery. 

“Our administration has made it a top priority to put the resources and support systems in place at every level to expand access to treatment, and combat the heroin and opioid crisis,” said Governor Hogan. “These grants play a critical role in supporting the local and grassroots work taking place in our communities and health care systems to save lives and promote healing.”

$4 Million For Block Grants to Local Jurisdictions. The OOCC is distributing $4 million through its Block Grant Program, which ensures that all of Maryland's 24 local jurisdictions receive a base level of funding to support overdose-related programs and initiatives. The program also takes into account local impacts of the opioid crisis and distributes half of the funds proportionally based on overdose mortality rates. These funds are distributed directly to local jurisdictions and will be administered by local health departments. The full list of programs that are being supported is available here. The biggest recipient of these grants is Baltimore City, which will receive $873,775 to support overdose response programs and teams. Baltimore County will receive $374,340 to provide continued support for peer recovery services, and Anne Arundel County will receive $256,976 to provide continued support for Safe Stations, as well as community and faith-based organizations.

$6 Million For Competitive Grants. The OOCC’s Competitive Grant Program will distribute an additional $6 million to fund 38 of the highest-scoring proposals received from over 90 state, local, and private community-based organizations. The final list of competitive grant awards is available here. Out of the grants awarded, 19 will be distributed to private and nonprofit organizations, and 19 will be distributed to state and local government agencies. Examples include:

• $396,090 to the University of Maryland to support data collection for fentanyl testing in Maryland hospitals. 
• $260,233 to the University of Maryland Capital Regional Health to support expansion of SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment)
• $79,770 to MedChi to support distribution of and training for at-home drug deactivation and disposal systems.
• $148,607 to Anne Arundel Medical Center to support co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder treatment, behavioral health workforce development, training in SBIRT, and care coordination services.
• Several county school systems will receive grants to support youth-based prevention programs, including Howard ($233,250), Worcester ($113,360), Talbot ($80,000) and Carroll ($22,100).

Grants for enforcement and public safety programs that support peer recovery and treatment services include $206,909 for Allegany County, $107,261 for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.