November 7th, 2019 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP) has received more than $6 million from the Department of Justice for the State of Maryland to support a coordinated, statewide response to the opioid crisis in collaboration with the work of the Opioid Operational Command Center. The Maryland Statistical Analysis Center (MSAC) will support action-oriented research, performance management, and evaluation of all sites involved in this initiative. 

“For five years, our administration has been committed to shining a spotlight on the heroin and opioid epidemic, which has torn apart communities and families throughout our state and across the nation,” said Governor Hogan. “This grant will enable us to make critical interventions and save lives as we continue using every tool at our disposal to address this crisis.”

The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, along with the Maryland Department of Health, the Behavioral Health Administration, and the Office of the Public Defender, will work with local law enforcement and health agencies to support three existing and six new Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) and detention-based diversion programs for nine sites in Maryland. For its part, the Hogan administration recorded more than $674 million in opioid-related spending in FY19, which is expected to reach $747 million during the current fiscal year of FY20.