Director Botticelli highlights Baltimore as a national model for addressing the opioid epidemic  

On Tuesday morning, Dr. Wen welcomed Director Michael Botticelli of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to discuss efforts to address the opioid crisis, rise in overdose deaths, and strategies to improve access to treatment for substance use disorder.

In response to the national opioid overdose epidemic, the Obama Administration has taken tremendous action to support evidence-based prevention, expand access to treatment, and promote recovery support services. Last month, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which provides $1 billion in new funding that President Obama requested to combat the epidemic, primarily by increasing access to substance use disorder treatment.

Preliminary data show that there were 481 fatal overdoses in Baltimore City from January through September 2016, compared to 286 during the same time period in 2015. The number of people who died from overdoses relating to fentanyl has increased from 75 to 267—an 18-fold increase since 2013.

During the visit, Director Botticelli, ONDCP staff, and Senator Van Hollen staffer Brent Girard met with members of the Work Group on Drug Treatment Access and Neighborhood Relations to discuss the public testimony meetings hosted in December 2016 where members of the community and national experts discussed ways to expand access to evidence-based treatment in the city while maintaining positive relationships with treatment providers and the communities they serve. Director Botticelli provided insight about strategies in Baltimore that can better humanize addiction and overcome stigma, expand access to treatment, and maintain healthy community relationships.

"The Obama Administration has pursued a balanced and humane approach to drug policy that promotes evidence-based prevention and expands access to treatment for every American who wants it,” said Director Botticelli at a press conference held during his visit to Baltimore. “Dr. Wen is a shining example of how local leaders can address the opioid overdose epidemic by improving access to naloxone, increasing the availability of evidence-based treatment, and reducing stigma about substance use disorders.”

After the press conference, the group visited our Needle Exchange Program (NEP), which seeks to reduce HIV, hepatitis C, and other infections by reducing the circulation of used syringes. The program also helps individuals with substance use disorders overcome addiction by linking them to drug treatment services, counseling, and testing for HIV and syphilis. Opioid overdose response training is also offered at all locations.

Read more about substance use, drug treatment access and neighborhood relations, and the Community Risk Reduction program in Baltimore. 

Watch the press conference on Periscope. 

Read the Baltimore Sun article, Nation's drug czar highlights Baltimore's efforts at curbing drug addiction, or the WBALTV 11 article, Drug czar concerned for opioid treatment if ACA is repealed, about Dr. Botticelli's visit in Baltimore.