Black Balloons Raise Awareness About Overdoses In Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD — Black balloons popped up around Bel Air this week in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to overdoses. It was part of a national effort to raise awareness about the widespread impact of addiction. Businesses and government agencies put black balloons outside their offices to symbolize that they had been affected by the disease of addiction through the loss of a loved one.

The Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy put 17 balloons in front of its headquarters to symbolize each life lost so far to a suspected opioid overdose in 2018.

In the town of Bel Air, five people died due to opioid overdoses in 2017, according to the Bel Air Police Department. There were a total of 33 overdoses in town that were not fatal, police said.

Bel Air's mayor and police chief stood outside town hall and the police department with five black balloons on Black Balloon Day on Tuesday, March 6, in remembrance.

A Massachusetts woman started Black Balloon Day on March 6, 2016, a year after her brother-in-law, who was a father of four, died from a drug overdose at age 38, according to WBZ-TV, the CBS affiliate out of Boston.

Black Balloon Day founder Lauren Hurley told the news station she wanted people to be able to look out and see they were not alone if they were affected by addiction, stating: "Even if one person sees a balloon and thinks, 'I could be the person that someone could be hanging the balloon out for'...we did something right."

Where To Get Help For Addiction

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

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

Anyone in Maryland can get Naloxone without a prescription. This medication reverses the effect of an opioid overdose. Four Klein's ShopRite pharmacies are reportedly offering it for free until July 1. You can also get training and find out more about Naloxone from the Maryland Department of Health.

The Bel Air Police Department is working in partnership with Harford County health department and drug control policy officials to address the opioid crisis in the town of Bel Air to offer trained recovery coaches. Call the Bel Air Police Department at 410-638-4500 or Family and Children Services of Harford County at 410-838-9000 for information.

See Also:

• Suspected Heroin Trafficker Indicted After Harford Probe
• Fentanyl Killing More Marylanders Than Heroin: New Overdose Stats
• Heroin Overdoses Exceed 400 In Harford County In 2017: Sheriff
• Peabody Mother And Daughter Start Black Balloon Day

Photos courtesy of the Bel Air Police Department and Harford County Sheriff's Office.