Hunt on for site for center
These numbers are on pace to surpass last year’s total, when 29 people suffered heroin-related deaths, according to data from the department. The county police department expanded its tracking this year to include opioid-related deaths and overdoses, and now lists heroin as a subcategory of that.
County officials say creating a residential detox center will help put a dent in these numbers. Both Rossman and DeLorenzo said there is large community support for the center and widespread understanding of the need for its creation, but its location could prove to be a challenge.
“I think conceptually most people I talk to believe that such a facility will be very useful and of value,” she said. “[But] I think there’s very few people who would want such a facility in their backyard. I can understand that.”
Rossman and her department have spent the last several months assessing the need for a center in Howard, and determined that there was a clear gap in services provided in the jurisdiction. This assessment involved analyzing data on drug use in the county and the type of available treatment facilities in and around Howard, Rossman said.
“In Howard County we have not bent the curve on our opioid deaths and the number of folks overdosing,” Rossman said. “It is not going away.”
The gap in treatment grew even larger this year, after the county’s only outpatient clinic for those with substance abuse disorders who are Medicaid recipients or uninsured closed at the end of 2016.
Rossman said she wants to create a center that can offer the most intense form of treatment, inpatient detoxification, to residents. Detoxification is the process of transitioning from a state of intoxication to being “clean” and no longer presenting any symptoms related to a drug, said Dr.
Andrew Angelino, chairman of the psychiatry department at Howard County General Hospital.
The withdrawal process during detoxification from a drug is painful, and for opioid users, can include muscle cramps, diarrhea and other severe flulike symptoms, Angelino said.
The center could also provide services for the entire spectrum of treatment for substance abuse, including prevention and intervention, crisis stabilization, detoxification, recovery and treatment, but De- Lorenzo said until a budget for the center itself is set, it’s difficult to know what will be available.
Due to the lack of government services, many people currently turn to Howard County General Hospital for treatment, Angelino said.
He said the hospital provides as much treatment as it can in an acute setting, including detox and counseling, but that the hospital is not a detox center and can’t provide every kind of service an individual may need.
Angelino said the two primary tasks the hospital focuses on are admitting and assessing patients for whatever ailments they may have, and then determining what the next best steps are for each case.
“The hard part is when it comes to addiction, not one size fits all,” he said.
Angelino said the hospital is open to being a partner in the county’s detox center, though he’s not sure what specific form that would take; possibilities include sending doctors to the center or providing medicine to the facility.
While officials hunt for a site, Rossman said the county is also working to create short-term solutions to help treat people before the center is ready. Rossman said there are plans to establish a “crisis stabilization center” in the county in the next year that can assess people addicted to drugs to determine the level of treatment they need and offer case management services to help ensure patients receive the right care.
Despite such plans, Angelino said the time for short-term solutions is over.
“This is not a short-term problem, this is ahuge societal problem and we’ve tried to find a quick fix and we’re not making a dent, because nobody’s investing in it,” Angelino said. “This is a major catastrophe, and we’ve ignored it long enough.”
For Angelino, a solution lies in creating a center that offers not only detoxification treatment, but programming that helps put people formerly addicted on a path toward a better life.
“We need a place where people can go, get themselves off drugs and start hearing how they can improve their life,” Angelino said. “They need people who are going to take them by the hand.” kmagill@baltsun.com
County officials say creating a residential detox center will help put a dent in these numbers. Both Rossman and DeLorenzo said there is large community support for the center and widespread understanding of the need for its creation, but its location could prove to be a challenge.
“I think conceptually most people I talk to believe that such a facility will be very useful and of value,” she said. “[But] I think there’s very few people who would want such a facility in their backyard. I can understand that.”
Rossman and her department have spent the last several months assessing the need for a center in Howard, and determined that there was a clear gap in services provided in the jurisdiction. This assessment involved analyzing data on drug use in the county and the type of available treatment facilities in and around Howard, Rossman said.
“In Howard County we have not bent the curve on our opioid deaths and the number of folks overdosing,” Rossman said. “It is not going away.”
The gap in treatment grew even larger this year, after the county’s only outpatient clinic for those with substance abuse disorders who are Medicaid recipients or uninsured closed at the end of 2016.
Rossman said she wants to create a center that can offer the most intense form of treatment, inpatient detoxification, to residents. Detoxification is the process of transitioning from a state of intoxication to being “clean” and no longer presenting any symptoms related to a drug, said Dr.
Andrew Angelino, chairman of the psychiatry department at Howard County General Hospital.
The withdrawal process during detoxification from a drug is painful, and for opioid users, can include muscle cramps, diarrhea and other severe flulike symptoms, Angelino said.
The center could also provide services for the entire spectrum of treatment for substance abuse, including prevention and intervention, crisis stabilization, detoxification, recovery and treatment, but De- Lorenzo said until a budget for the center itself is set, it’s difficult to know what will be available.
Due to the lack of government services, many people currently turn to Howard County General Hospital for treatment, Angelino said.
He said the hospital provides as much treatment as it can in an acute setting, including detox and counseling, but that the hospital is not a detox center and can’t provide every kind of service an individual may need.
Angelino said the two primary tasks the hospital focuses on are admitting and assessing patients for whatever ailments they may have, and then determining what the next best steps are for each case.
“The hard part is when it comes to addiction, not one size fits all,” he said.
Angelino said the hospital is open to being a partner in the county’s detox center, though he’s not sure what specific form that would take; possibilities include sending doctors to the center or providing medicine to the facility.
While officials hunt for a site, Rossman said the county is also working to create short-term solutions to help treat people before the center is ready. Rossman said there are plans to establish a “crisis stabilization center” in the county in the next year that can assess people addicted to drugs to determine the level of treatment they need and offer case management services to help ensure patients receive the right care.
Despite such plans, Angelino said the time for short-term solutions is over.
“This is not a short-term problem, this is ahuge societal problem and we’ve tried to find a quick fix and we’re not making a dent, because nobody’s investing in it,” Angelino said. “This is a major catastrophe, and we’ve ignored it long enough.”
For Angelino, a solution lies in creating a center that offers not only detoxification treatment, but programming that helps put people formerly addicted on a path toward a better life.
“We need a place where people can go, get themselves off drugs and start hearing how they can improve their life,” Angelino said. “They need people who are going to take them by the hand.” kmagill@baltsun.com
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