Hunt on for site for center
Budget includes $250,000 to to begin search for detox facility’s location
As Maryland continues to battle opioid abuse, Howard County is taking steps toward opening its first residential detoxification center.
The county budget year that began July 1 includes $250,000 to help fund a project to choose a location and begin design for the center.
That’s the first of several steps in the process to build the center; no schedule for its opening or even a budget for the facility itself have been set by the county, said Carl DeLorenzo, the administration’s director DeLorenzo of policy and programs.
Ateam including officials from the county’s health department and the county executive’s office are working to find an appropriate location to serve the still-growing number of substance abusers in Howard County, said DeLorenzo, who is heading up the project alongside County Health Officer Dr. Maura Rossman.
The goal is to choose a location for the center within the next year, DeLorenzo said.
The project team has started exploring some possible options, including space on Howard County General Hospital’s campus in Columbia and space on the coming campus for the mental health treatment facility Sheppard Pratt in Elkridge, DeLorenzo said.
Both organizations are being considered as potential locations and partners in the future center.
Another option is a location at Springfield Rossman Hospital Center in Carroll County; the center could then be used as a regional facility, DeLorenzo said.
The group is open to exploring other locations and ideas as the process moves forward, he said.
Rossman said the $250,000 in this year’s budget could go toward tasks such as architectural drawings for the center or to enlist a real estate company to help with the location search. DeLorenzo said he and Rossman will be meeting in the coming weeks to determine how to use the funds.
The opioid epidemic continues to take its toll on Howard residents. Between January and June of this year, there were 26 opioid-related deaths, 23 of which were heroin-related, according to data from the Howard County Police Department.
The data also notes 91 reported non-fatal opioid-related overdoses, 87 of which were heroin related.
The county budget year that began July 1 includes $250,000 to help fund a project to choose a location and begin design for the center.
That’s the first of several steps in the process to build the center; no schedule for its opening or even a budget for the facility itself have been set by the county, said Carl DeLorenzo, the administration’s director DeLorenzo of policy and programs.
Ateam including officials from the county’s health department and the county executive’s office are working to find an appropriate location to serve the still-growing number of substance abusers in Howard County, said DeLorenzo, who is heading up the project alongside County Health Officer Dr. Maura Rossman.
The goal is to choose a location for the center within the next year, DeLorenzo said.
The project team has started exploring some possible options, including space on Howard County General Hospital’s campus in Columbia and space on the coming campus for the mental health treatment facility Sheppard Pratt in Elkridge, DeLorenzo said.
Both organizations are being considered as potential locations and partners in the future center.
Another option is a location at Springfield Rossman Hospital Center in Carroll County; the center could then be used as a regional facility, DeLorenzo said.
The group is open to exploring other locations and ideas as the process moves forward, he said.
Rossman said the $250,000 in this year’s budget could go toward tasks such as architectural drawings for the center or to enlist a real estate company to help with the location search. DeLorenzo said he and Rossman will be meeting in the coming weeks to determine how to use the funds.
The opioid epidemic continues to take its toll on Howard residents. Between January and June of this year, there were 26 opioid-related deaths, 23 of which were heroin-related, according to data from the Howard County Police Department.
The data also notes 91 reported non-fatal opioid-related overdoses, 87 of which were heroin related.
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