Walden Praises Drug Summitt, Calls for Funds
from Kathleen O’Brien, CEO and Executive Director, Walden:
“Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to present with other community leaders at the Community Drug Summit held on March 7th at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department hall. I was touched and impressed by the hundreds of community members who came out to learn more about opiate addiction and express their concerns. It moved us to work even harder at Walden to continue to reach out to the community about the crisis and addiction treatment services, recovery support and education we offer.
“At the same time, the Maryland legislature and the Governor are making decisions regarding the State budget that impact the ability of treatment centers like Walden. It is imperative that adequate resources are allocated to address the drug crisis in our State. Over the last several years, as funding for treatment services has been reduced, overdoses have increased. This year, the Governor’s proposed budget cuts $12.4 million from the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration budget for Medicaid services and $2.8 million in treatment grant funding.
“Statewide, fatal heroin overdoses rose 54% to 378 in 2012 from 241 in 2011. In our own community, we have seen a continued need for treatment options and a growing need for treatment options for opiate addiction. Last year, the Anchor residential program provided residential detox treatment to 449 individuals from the Tri-County region, with opiate addicted patients representing 60% of all admissions.
“Admissions for treatment of prescription opioid substance use at Walden’s Anchor Residential Treatment program for St. Mary’s residents increased by 400% from 2008 to 2012 . The rate of treatment admissions for heroin use more than doubled (230% increase) in that time frame. We are also seeing an increase in guests using ongoing, open-ended recovery support services, with the number of guests visiting the Beacon of Hope Recovery and Wellness Center exceeding the number of guests in the previous year within 6 months.
“Providing adequate help for addiction treatment and recovery requires interconnected services able to respond to unique individual and family preferences. Grant funding is needed to pay for treatment for uninsured and underinsured individuals and services not covered by Medicaid including residential services, reentry services and expanding access to all FDA approved medication assisted treatment.
“The Maryland Addictions Directors Council has requested the Governor provide $9.5 million in supplemental funds to aggressively address the drug crisis in Maryland. I invite all those impacted and concerned about this crisis to contact the Governor and legislator IMMEDIATELY to provider your support for this request.
At Walden, we sincerely thank all our community supporters. We ask the community to remember that we are available 24 hours a day through our hotline at 301 863 6661, and we pledge to continue to be there for those needing our support and assistance. 301-997-1300 x 803
