Bel Air Overdose Response Program Sees Early Signs Of Success

BEL AIR, MD — After its first year, a new program to curb overdoses in Bel Air reported early signs of success. The initiative is called the Bel Air Drug Abatement Response Team, or DART.

The "alarming number of overdoses and repeat overdoses in the town of Bel Air" led authorities to develop the collaborative response effort, according to DART coordinators.

Two or three times in one week, Bel Air police said first responders were being called to assist the same opioid overdose victims.

It is not possible to "arrest your way out of this problem," Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore said in a statement.

Realizing something more was needed, the Bel Air Police Department partnered with behavioral health organizations to disrupt the pattern. Among them was Family and Children’s Services, a nonprofit that offers mental health resources through the Harford County Child Advocacy Center.

Since the DART program launched in January, those who have participated have had no repeat overdoses, according to Family and Children’s Services, which is the lead partner in the effort.

Here is how the DART program works:

• Law enforcement officers respond to an overdose in Bel Air.
• Police refer overdose victims to Family and Children’s Services or other treatment providers.
• Peer recovery specialists reach out encouraging victims to access treatment within 48 hours.

Providing an "immediate multi-organizational response" helps prevent future overdoses and offers a way out from addiction, according to Cpl. Matthew Gullion.

"DART addresses the crisis of addiction and the trauma of overdoses," Gullion said in a statement.

As the lead partner in DART, Family and Children's Services receives handles case management and behavioral health services for the overdose victims who are willing to accept help.

"We work with these folks to process through their past trauma which is often the root cause of their addiction," Deputy Chief of Behavioral Health Services Jennifer Redding, of Family and Children's Services, told Patch.

Other partners in the DART program are the Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy and Addiction Connections Resource.

The number of heroin overdoses in the town of Bel Air so far this year has decreased by 37 percent compared with 2017, according to officials.

However, authorities said the overdose fatalities increased. There were five overdose deaths in the town of Bel Air in 2017; there have been nine fatal overdoses as of Dec. 19, 2018, DART officials reported.

"While the results of the DART program this year are encouraging, we must not forget those who have died or those who are still struggling from addiction, nor should we forget their families," Chief Moore said. "I'm hopeful that the program will provide a solution and recovery for those who are suffering so much."

Moore said the program would be evaluated as it continues.

• Black Balloons Raise Awareness About Overdoses In Bel Air
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Where To Get Help For Addiction

Those seeking treatment for addiction can contact Addiction Connections Resource at 443-417-7810. The nonprofit helps people navigate options for assistance, from therapists to halfway houses to treatment centers.

Call the Bel Air Police Department at 410-638-4500 or Family and Children Services of Harford County at 410-838-9000 for information about access to resources.

People can also use the treatment locator on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or call the Maryland Crisis Hotline, which provides 24/7 support, at 1-800-422-0009. Marylanders grappling with a substance use disorder can find help as well at BeforeItsTooLateMD.org.

There are Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings available locally as well as Nar-Anon and Al-Anon for family members.

What Harford County Is Doing

Harford County launched a public awareness campaign in 2016 to combat the heroin epidemic that includes these elements, among others:

• Billboards and public service announcements
• H.O.P.E. House, a mobile unit to help educate parents about signs of drug use (new in 2017)
• Naloxone trainings for community members to learn how to administer the overdose antidote
• Project Healthy Delivery, a program to help pregnant women with addiction
• Trainings on heroin for professionals, from health teachers to businesses
• Harford County Bar Foundation partnership to help addicts with legal issues
• Speaking tour to educate parents about the problem
• Recovery coaches and recovery coach coordinator to help addicts navigate job opportunities and support services after treatment

File photo by Elizabeth Janney.