Baltimore Beat
Sober spaces in Baltimore are thriving
From coffee shops to music venues, these spaces play an important role in Baltimore as more people experience the city’s unique culture through a sober lens.
Advocates call for state regulation of homeless shelters after survey emphasizes inhumane conditions
Complaints cited in the survey included infestations of bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats. There were also reports of brown-colored water coming from showers, toilets and faucets, as well as expired or moldy food and a lack of wheelchair accessibility.
Baltimore to distribute naloxone to neighborhood and community associations to curb in-home overdoses
Public health experts have said that naloxone was an important factor in the city’s historic drop in overdose deaths last year, and officials said on Thursday their goal is to get it into the hands of as many people as possible.
Expansion of life-saving medications for opioid use disorder in prisons delayed as access remains a public health threat
There are already concerns that the program, which allows opioid-use disorder medications to be covered by Medicaid, won’t go far enough. The program only covers the medications, which include methadone and buprenorphine, 90 days prior to release.
As Trump targets Baltimore’s unsheltered population and harm reduction funding, Mayor Scott offers many words, few actions
Mayor Brandon Scott has appeared on national television five times this week to rebut Trump’s lies about violent crime, but he still hasn’t detailed a plan to protect Baltimoreans dealing with homelessness and substance use disorder.
Maryland is without any harm reduction training program after dropping Baltimore nonprofit
Since July 1, there has been no organization helming the Maryland Department of Health’s statewide harm reduction training program, and all harm reduction training modules have been scrubbed from the internet.
‘It’s easier out here’: Despite extreme temperatures, unhoused Baltimoreans often seek comfort, familiarity in anything but a shelter
The story of being unsheltered in Baltimore is one largely rooted in trauma and the government’s failure to protect its most vulnerable.
As mayor’s administration tiptoes around overdose prevention centers, Councilman Dorsey says they’re needed now
Though Mayor Scott has the authority to unilaterally impose measures such as OPCs, he has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter despite naming them a “legislative priority” this year.
With a focus on harm reduction, Baltimore’s strategic plan looks to cut fatal overdoses 40% by 2040
Baltimore's draft strategic plan lists myriad goals, but it also contains some ambiguity, leaving the door open for programs such as overdose prevention centers.
In Baltimore's drug war, 'public safety' comes before public health. Nearly all of those impacted are Black
City officials have found themselves unable — or unwilling — to let go of punitive drug enforcement and the millions of dollars it takes to bankroll the cops who carry it out.
Harm reductionists press Mayor Scott about restitution funds, echo opioid board’s concerns at town hall event
The town hall came one week after the restitution board’s second meeting, where members were shocked to learn that they’d only have discretion over just $2 million of funds allocated to community organizations.
As Baltimore battles overdose crisis and hosts East Coast’s largest addiction conference, harm reduction practices shine
Harm reduction has only grown in popularity in the U.S. and internationally — on the same day as the conference in Baltimore, roughly 1,000 people attended the Harm Reduction International Conference in Bogotá, Colombia.