I want to take a minute to talk about the opioid crisis in Maryland, where we are and where we should be ... 1/
Maryland, like a lot of our neighbors, has been hit dramatically hard by the opioid crisis. Since 2015, our state has suffered nearly 4,000 opioid-related deaths. 2/
Larry Hogan promised he’d declare a state of emergency if he became governor. Sadly, it took him two years to get around to it. This matters, because in the interim we lost thousands of Marylanders. 3/
They were fathers, mothers, siblings, teachers, coaches, children, coworkers, and each one came from every region of our state. No race, gender or income is immune from the crisis. 4/
The MDers impacted by this crisis are what inspired me to make opioids the first policy I issued as a candidate. We have to finally start treating this epidemic like the public health emergency it is & ensuring that more treatment & centers are available to those suffering. 5/
We need a direct investment in an increased stock of Naloxone so cities like Baltimore aren’t rationing, we need more 24/7 crisis treatment centers, we need dedicated emergency response teams tackling overdose spikes ... 6/
We need better treatment for those already incarcerated, so they don’t get tossed back out onto the street and put at risk of immediately overdosing, we need to crack down on pill mills and manufacturers, we need a dedicated office coordinating all of these efforts ... 7/
And most importantly, we need a budget proposal that health care professionals don’t broadly refer to as “disappointing,” the way they’ve responded to Larry Hogan’s most recent proposal 8/
Today, the Hogan Administration unveiled new opioid crisis initiatives for 2018. Much of what he’s now proposing is a part of the plan I announced last year. Had Hogan kept his word and started this work sooner, we’d be in a much better position than we are now. 9/
People in our state are dying at an alarming rate. And we have doctors telling us exactly what it’s going to take to fix it. Why on earth hasn’t it been at the top of the Governor’s priority list all this time? 10/
I can’t commend the health professionals working day in and day out enough. But they can’t do it alone, they need resources and a coordinated strategy to support their work. MD can’t afford to go on with half-measures. Too many lives and too many families are on the line. 11/
Trump’s emergency declaration hasn’t gotten results. And to-date the Hogan’s administration’s actions haven’t either. It’s on us in our states to help our people, and we need effective solutions now. End/
