Yesterday, I joined Mayor Catherine Pugh and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford to announce plans for the first Stabilization Center in Maryland—the beginning of Baltimore’s efforts to create a 24/7 “ER” for addiction and mental health. Mayor Pugh and Chief of Operations Pete Hammen have championed the Stabilization Center from when they were in the State Legislature; they were instrumental to Baltimore City securing the $3.6 million for capital costs for the Center. Mayor Pugh is truly at the forefront of leaders across the country to call for science-based, compassion treatment of individuals with the disease of addiction.

I also thank our federal partners in Congress for approving the 21st Century CURES Act. Of the $10 million available to the State of Maryland from CURES, $2 million is provided by the State to Baltimore. Additional operating support comes from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission, in the way of a $600,000 grant. We thank the CHRC for their early and continued support, and Behavioral Health System Baltimore and Tuerk House among others as our key implementation partners.

We are in the midst of a national epidemic of opioid overdose and addiction. Here in Baltimore City, over 700 people died last year from overdose – that’s around two residents per day. Science shows us that addiction is a disease, treatment exists, and recovery is possible. Yet, a recent Surgeon General’s report found that only 1 in 10 people with the disease of addiction are able to access the treatment that they need. For what other disease would we find this acceptable?

As an emergency physician, I’ve treated thousands of patients who come to the ER seeking help for addiction. They know they need help; I know they need help. And every medical provider who sees them knows that they need help. Yet the ER is not always the best place to help them; these patients often need behavioral support and wraparound services. We providers become frustrated that we can’t get our patients the help that they need. Our patients and family members are frustrated at the inadequacy of our medical system. These are some of our most vulnerable citizens. We would never tell patients suffering from a heart attack, “Sorry, we can’t help you today. Wait three weeks and come back then.” Why would we do this for the disease of addiction?

Here in Baltimore City, under Mayor Pugh’s leadership, we have made progress to treat addiction as the disease that it is. My blanket prescription for the opioid antidote naloxone has enabled everyday residents to save the lives of 1,785 people in the last two years. Together with our public safety partners, including the Fire Department, we responded to the rise in fentanyl deaths by using data to identify hotspots, then we deploy, in real-time, outreach workers to educate and to save lives. We recognize that treating addiction as a crime is unscientific, inhumane, and ineffective. And we are working on expanding access to on-demand treatment through a “Hub & Spokes” model, and – heeding a call to action by Mayor Pugh – we are partnering with our hospitals to treat addiction just as we would diabetes, heart disease, and any other chronic illnesses.

The Stabilization Center is one more step towards on-demand addiction treatment. It will offer a safe place for individuals with addiction to sober and receive short-term medical and social interventions. The Center will conduct medical screenings, connect patients with behavioral health and social services, and offer buprenorphine inductions for those eligible. Patients who meet specific criteria will be diverted through EMS transport to the Stabilization Center. This will create a non-traditional access point for individuals with specific, behavioral health needs. This is the beginning of Baltimore’s efforts to create a 24/7 “ER” for addiction and mental health.

Baltimore City has never taken a back seat to public health. The Stabilization Center is an innovative step towards treatment-on-demand. I feel grateful every day to work with an incredible team at the Health Department, and with our partners on the state- and city-levels, all of whom are dedicated to combating the opioid epidemic in Baltimore and treating addiction as the disease that it is.

Leana Wen, M.D., M.Sc.

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