Hope Lives Here: Baltimore

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Hope Lives Here: Baltimore

Baltimore City carries a much heavier burden from the opioid crisis than most places in Maryland or the country. This decades-long crisis has been shaped by the Crack Cocaine Epidemic, the War on Drugs, prescription drug misuse, the era of heroin use, and now fentanyl and other emerging drugs. Because of long standing historical and economic inequities, many neighborhoods face a much higher risk of fatal drug and alcohol overdose than others. Hope Lives Here is Baltimore’s coordinated response to reduce overdoses, save lives, and support the people and families affected by this crisis. It brings together real resources, real support, and a commitment from the city to make sure no one faces this alone.

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in collaboration with Department of Health

Phase 4: Grief and Loss

Grief is something many of our residents carry every single day.

About one in four Baltimore City adults has lost a loved one to a drug overdose and roughly one in five high school students lives with a parent or guardian struggling with a substance use disorder, including alcohol.

Overdose grief is often carried in silence. Stigma around how someone died can make this kind of loss feel impossible to talk about, even among friends who've experienced a similar loss. Baltimore City is prioritizing partnerships that offer grief support specifically designed for the realities of this kind of loss, including specialized groups for families affected by substance use disorder.

We believe grief can inform how we protect the next person. Through the Overdose Fatality Review and Next of Kin interviews, families can share the life and story of the person they lost. These stories can help identify the touchpoints and systems that might have made a difference and inform how Baltimore shapes its response going forward.

Every August 31st, International Overdose Awareness Day brings Baltimore together, alongside communities across the world, to grieve and honor those we’ve lost and to stand against the stigma that often isolates grieving families.

For youth processing the impacts of substance use in their own families and communities, we offer Kids Off Drugs (K.O.D), a high-energy, school-based initiative that helps youth and young adults learn about the history of drugs in Baltimore and the cultural norms that lead to substance use. In collaboration with Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore and Catalyst of Change, K.O.D. is a free, valuable resource available for Baltimore City schools, colleges, and the broader community.

BCHD will soon offer a peer-driven storytelling workshop, in partnership with Wide Angle Youth Media, where youth create their own media content across multiple modalities about their lives, coping, support, and resilience. More information is coming soon.

Each day, lives are saved in Baltimore through naloxone, harm reduction, and the people doing the work, but there is still work to be done to close the gap between where Baltimore is and where it needs to be. One conversation, one resource, and one act of dignity at a time. Hope lives here.