Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, in Columbia, has officially opened the New Beginnings Crisis Stabilization facility. This facility is an important component of Howard County’s opioid intervention strategy to meet immediate needs for assessment, treatment, referrals and brief overnight housing and food. Pictures from the event can be found here. Video can be found here.

Crisis stabilization is an essential service to provide so that individuals in need of a referral for substance use disorder treatment can receive immediate screening and intervention services so that they do not experience a delay in entry into residential or outpatient treatment. The period between referral and admission can result in a return to use, overdose, or the individual may need to seek services at an emergency department (ED), which is what crisis services aims to avoid.

This grant and treatment facility will help improve outreach efforts, keep needed services in our community and will continue to build on the successes that the Health, Police, and Fire departments have achieved.

“Howard County is seeing progress on the fight against opioid related addiction, overdoses, and fatalities,” said County Executive Calvin Ball. “This year we are seeing a 42% decrease in opioid related fatalities and a 14% decrease in non-fatal overdoses as compared to last year. This success is built on the partnerships and engagement from the Howard County government and nonprofits such as Grassroots.”

The opening of the New Beginnings Crisis Stabilization Facility is a critical part of improving Howard County’s continuum of care services. Earlier this year, the county opened the Howard House, a half-way house for men and the first Howard County-owned service provision for substance abuse treatment in the county; allowing for 16 beds to be filled at any given time and serving more than 30 clients per year.

Finally, to address the lack of inpatient detox services in the county, the county has partnered with Delphi Behavioral Health Group to bring the first residential treatment facility to Howard County. This arrangement includes a $3 million investment over four years to form this first-of-its-kind partnership in Maryland between a local jurisdiction and a private treatment provider, which will guarantee placements for Howard County residents and reserve beds for individuals who are publicly insured or uninsured.