DELMARVA - It's no secret that the opioid crisis has hit home and continues to linger our small Delmarva Peninsula. While progess has been made in counties like Wicomico and Worcester on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the drug epidemic seems to be getting worse in places like Sussex County. Delaware.
Earlier this year, the Center for Disease Control reported Sussex County saw a 105 percent increase in opioid overdoses between 2016 and 2017. Much of that increase is due to an uptick in drug use there. According to Delaware's Division of Forensic Science annual report, 42 percent of all drug-related deaths are caused by the opioid epidemic. Sussex County saw 118 deaths, while Kent saw 74 overdose deaths involving heroin, fentanyl, and opioid pills.
Down in Accomack County, health officials say illicit fentanyl remains a concern after they saw an increase in overdose deaths by 117 percent since 2015.
Police agencies across Delmarva say despite the peninsula's small town community, there is quite a misconception on our drug problem at home.
"We're an example...a small beautiful community, waterfront, Chesapeake Bay. You've got everything to be here for and yet, we have a drug problem such as this," Crisfield Police Chief Mike Tabor says. "And if its here - it's everywhere."
As police agencies are becoming more involved in the crisis, they're now able to locate where the drugs are coming from and where on the peninsula most drug sales are happening.
"If you talk to the investigators in both Accomack and Northampton counties in Virginia on the Eastern Shore hore - they will tell you the bulk of their heroin is coming from Baltimore, Maryland and they all have to travel through Wicomico County to get to Baltimore - and then back to the Eastern Shore of Virginia," Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis tells WBOC.
Lawmakers are also continuing their fight against the crisis--allocating funding and support for addiction abuse treatment and education. This year, Gov. John Carney designated $1 million of Delaware's state budget for to funding substance abuse treatment programs. The Hogan Administration committed over $22 million to the epidemic in Maryland and Virginia lawmakers pledged more than $15 million to combat this issue in the commonwealth.
In October 2017, WBOC aired HOOKED: Delmarva's Drug Crisis where we presented our findings on the drug epidemic with riveting stories and investigative reports. We interviewed addicts, recovering addicts, and families who have experienced the heartache of grief from losing a loved one to the addiction. We also sat down with police departments and task force, in addition to lawmakers and health officials statewide and locally, to determine how we as a community can come together to support those in need of help.
In April 2018, with HOOKED: Delmarva's Drug Crisis...Six Months Later, WBOC revisited some of those police departments and law enforcement agencies to check on the status of the crisis on the peninsula. We also met new faces and families who know the heartache of losing a loved one to addiction all too well.
Today, while the our community is making progress in some areas, we understand there is still work to be done; the fight against the opioid epidemic is far from over.
If you or anyone you know is looking for assistance overcoming addiction, check the list below for services near you:
Delaware Drug Rehabilitation Programs:
Delmarva Teen Challenge: http://www.delawareteenchallenge.org/
Enlightening men with life-controlling problems to the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ; & Empowering the spiritually hungry through RELATIONSHIP with Christ and His body; & Equipping the committed for SERVICE in Christ’s kingdom.
Serenity Properties: http://serenitypropertiesllc.com/
Serenity Properties is a set of homes that provides stable recovery housing for those seeking to recover from drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. The three homes for men and three for women provide dozens of beds, all within walking distance of transportation, jobs, meetings, stores, counseling, etc.
AMS of Delaware: http://www.amsdelaware.com/
The professional group of AMS Delaware, LLC is here to raise awareness and provide understanding from Addiction. We are an integrated healthcare provider with accessibility to individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by drug addiction. AMS of Delaware continues to cultivate a team of competent, compassionate personnel who are dedicated to individualized care and committed to continuously improving services. We use ongoing research and development to maintain an environment open to learning and to provide education to the community.
Connections: http://www.connectionscsp.org
Connections is a nonprofit organization that assists people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities, as well as those with substance use disorders, homeless veterans and their families, families in crisis, and men and women who are incarcerated.
Maryland Drug Rehabilitation Programs:
Lower Shore Clinic: http://www.lowershoreclinic.org
Peer Connection is an established rehabilitation program for people with co-occurring disorders. Dually diagnosed clients wish to be free of addiction and symptoms of mental illness but don’t recognize behaviors that undermine their efforts.We assist members in managing mental health and addictions issues to lead stable and productive lives. Peer Connection trains people in a peer-guided model with a unique language. Our members are taught to recognize self-defeating patterns that lead to instability and relapse. A group process stimulates awareness of these behaviors and encourages the devolopment of alternate solutions. We provide the setting, opportunity, and support for people wrestling with mental illness and substance abuse to lead manageable lives again.
J. David Collins & Associates, LLC: http://www.jdavidcollins.com/
As practical, interactive, solution focused treatment providers, J. David Collins & Associates' approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help patients resolve current and long standing patterns related to their addiction and mental health issues. With sensitivity and compassion, they help patients engage solutions to a wide range of life challenges and psychological issues in order to successfully lead a life of recovery. They work with a wide range of diverse individuals, providing services that empower the patient and their families to successfully recover from the distress that substance abuse and mental health issues have placed on their lives. They also offer a highly patient centered approach tailored to each patient’s individual needs, providing cognitive behavioral therapy as well as other therapeutic modalities in our mental health therapy. Their substance abuse treatment is based on evidence based treatment modality of the Matrix Model.
- Salisbury: 540 Riverside Drive-Suite 8. Call: 410-548-3333
- Cambridge: 828 Airpax Road-Building B Suite 300. Call: 410-548-3333
- Princess Anne: 30256 Mt. Vernon Road. Call: 410-548-3333
Chesapeake Treatment Services: http://www.chesapeaketreatmentservices.com/
Chesapeake Treatment Services Dedicated to the recovery of individuals struggling with opioid addiction. Its clinics offer Suboxone and daily doses of methadone. We offer affordable care in a loving environment and respect to recovering addicts.
- Easton: 402 Marvel Court, near the intersection of Idlewild Avenue and Route 50. Call: 410-822-7150
- Ocean City: 12417 Ocean Gateway. Call: 443-373-2113.
- Salisbury: 1322 Belmont Ave. at the intersection of Civic Avenue in Route 50. Call 410-831-3904
Hudson Health Services, Inc.: http://www.hudson-health.org/
Hudson Health Services is non-profit organization that has been treating individuals with Substance-Use Disorders since 1980. We are a variable length of stay program that uses a multi-disciplinary, evidence based approach to educate patients about the Disease of Addiction and the tools necessary to establish and maintain sobriety.
White Flint Recovery: http://www.whiteflintrecoveryeasternshore.com/
White Flint Recovery offers a drug free, therapeutic treatment program. Our target population is criminal offenders that are chemically addicted, whose lifestyles have demonstrated a level of personal and social dysfunction requiring professional intervention and rehabilitation. Treatment is to be followed by referral to less restrictive community agencies, if indicated. White Flint Recovery treatment programs provide outpatient treatment services through intensive addictions evaluation, substance abuse education, group counseling and a drug testing program that focuses on the individual needs of the client to plan the course and frequency of treatment.
Virginia Drug Rehabilitation Programs:
Eastern Shore Community Services:http://escsb.org
The Eastern Shore Community Services Board (ESCSB) was formed in 1971 to provide mental health and substance abuse outpatient counseling services and vocational services and residences to the developmentally challenged in Northampton County and Accomack County, Virginia.
Right Path: https://rightpathaddictioncenters.com/location/suffolk-addiction-treatment-center/
Right Path is an outpatient treatment center that emphasizes combining evidence-based plans that have the highest success rates. Often referred to as MAT (medically assisted treatment), our physicians use medications such as BUPRENORPHINE, SUBOXONE, VIVITROL injections, and PROBUPHINE implants. Right Path’s model of treatment has a strong emphasis of coupling medication with counseling and support. This combination has been proven to be the most effective way to treat opioid/heroin/alcohol addiction compared to other more traditional methods.
Resources & Awareness:
Facing Addiction: https://www.facingaddiction.org/
Facing Addiction Inc. is a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding solutions to the addiction crisis by unifying the voice of the over 45 million Americans and their families directly impacted by addiction.
Talbot Goes Purple: https://www.talbotgoespurple.org/
Talbot Goes Purple is an initiative from the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and Tidewater Rotary that empowers our youth and our community to ‘Go Purple’ as a sign of taking a stand against substance abuse.
Worcester County Warriors: https://wocowarriors.org/
The Worcester County Warriors Against Opiate Addiction began in April, 2016 when a few community moms who had sons that were addicted to heroin joined forces to fight the drug in their community. When it became evident that many parents and others in Worcester County were dealing with the same issue, they decided to form an army against opiates and the Worcester County Warriors were born. In the short time that the Warriors have existed, the entire county has risen in support of this passionate battle. The Warriors have become a force to be reckoned with and they welcome anyone to join them in fighting the scourge that is threatening the people of our beautiful county.
Drug-Free Delaware: https://www.drug-freedelaware.org/
A community working together to design a drug-free county to prevent underage drinking, the use of illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription medicines. Our partners are unified individuals and organizations from every sector of the community caring about and working together.
Drug Free Va: http://drugfreeva.org/
The mission of the Sink or Swim initiative is to build broad awareness of issues related to drug addiction and be an information resource for individuals and families impacted by drug use.
