Harford County Gets $164K Grant For Substance Abuse Treatment

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Harford County will receive more than $164,000 in grant money from the state's Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC) and Emergency Management Agency to help fight the opioid and heroin epidemic, officials announced this week.

"Addressing the opioid and substance use crisis in Maryland remains one of our highest priorities," Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford said in a statement. "As long as this crisis poses a threat to Marylanders, we will persist in our efforts to eradicate it. I want to make it very clear that we have remained focused on this issue in spite of the country's other public health challenges, and we will continue to devote the resources required to bring it under control."

Harford County was awarded $164,718 to guide people from substance abuse into recovery through early identification and interaction.

The funding for FY 2021 is part of a $50 million, five-year initiative launched by the state in 2017.

Individual programs across the state were eligible as well for funding through competitive and block grants.

The Klein Family Crisis Center, Harford Memorial Hospital and Upper Chesapeake were awarded a $181,500 grant to provide peer recovery support personnel, according to University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health officials. State officials said Harford County was awarded $143,200 so recovery specialists could work with medics during overdose or substance use calls in the county.

A $58,800 grant will fund parenting and family training sessions in Harford County to reduce risk factors and increase resilience, according to a statement from state officials.

"We have passionate individuals working on the opioid and substance use crisis in every corner of Maryland," Maryland Department of Health Secretary Robert R. Neall said in a statement. "Our success in tackling this problem depends on our ability to support these individuals and their local networks. The OOCC's grant awards provide exactly the type of support that is required to empower those who know best what their communities need."

Here's what each jurisdiction is getting:

• Allegany County - $112,811
• Anne Arundel County - $274,618
• Baltimore City - $836,618
• Baltimore County - $400,860
• Calvert County - $108,005
• Caroline County - $91,664
• Carroll County - $137,803
• Cecil County - $136,842
• Charles County - $108,646
• Dorchester County - $91,664
• Frederick County - $145,813
• Garrett County - $87,499
• Harford County - $164,718
• Howard County - $120,501
• Kent County - $88,460
• Prince George's County - $185,544
• Queen Anne's County - $93,586
• Somerset County - $89,742
• St. Mary's County - $112,491
• Talbot County - $93,266
• Washington County - $151,260
• Wicomico County - $111,209
• Worcester County - $95,829

"Maryland's sustained commitment to addressing the opioid and substance use crisis is more important now than it has been ever before," Steve Schuh, executive director of the OOCC, said in a statement. "In a challenging environment, these grants are among the most powerful tools at our disposal."

Alessia Grunberger and Kristin Danley-Greiner contributed to this report.