Health Department Receives a One-Million Dollar Grant to Address Gap in Substance Use Disorder Care
The Howard County Health Department and Howard County have been working to address the substance misuse epidemic by developing solutions and identifying gaps in our service delivery system. The crisis 
services and residential treatment component of the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment continuum of care is extremely limited within Howard County. When residents are referred to SUD residential treatment and/or detoxification, wait periods may be several days before admission. This time period between referral and admission can result in a return to using, overdose, or seeking services at an emergency department (ED).
Howard County is now able to address the gap in the continuum of treatment services. A $1 million dollar grant from the federal government through the State of Maryland Behavioral Health Administration, will allow Howard County to expand the existing Grassroots Crisis Intervention partnership to include on-site crisis stabilization services. Grassroots’ current services will be expanded to include 24 hour short term monitoring, crisis stabilization, Care Coordination, transportation, and referral assistance.
For individuals experiencing a substance use related crisis, screening, client monitoring and crisis stabilization services will be offered. Specialized medical staff will be hired to provide stabilization services. Staff will be available 24 hours per day to ensure proper care and services are available to those in need, day and night. The medical team will be available to assess and monitor clients’ progress throughout their time at Grassroots. They will be connected to a care coordinator and peer recovery specialist to ensure they are warmly connected SUD residential and/or outpatient treatment and other resources as needed.
For more information about treatment resources and services, contact the Bureau of Behavioral Health at 410-313-6202 or visit their webpage by clicking here.
February is American Heart Month
February is American Heart Month®. According to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States.
Based on the 2017 Maryland Vital Statistics Annual Report, heart disease is the leading cause of death in Maryland, accounting for 23.3% of all deaths in the state. The report also states that in Howard County, nearly 500 deaths were caused by heart disease.
Read more about the risk factors and what you can do to prevent heart disease by clicking here.
Seasonal Flu Clinics
Walk-In hours. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. No appointment necessary.
Wednesday clinics are 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Howard County Health Department
8930 Stanford Blvd.
Columbia, MD 21045
Lead Information & Resources
Visit the following Health Department pages:
The Doctor Is In - Episode Three - Public Health 101
The third episode of the Health Department podcast, The Doctor Is In is now available on Howard Community College’s Dragon Digital Radio. It is no surprise that the words public health conjure up images of health inspectors investigating restaurants or perhaps a clinic for mothers and their babies. While both are accurate, there is much more to public health than meets the eye. In fact, it is often said that when public health is working, it is invisible. We’ll talk to three people working in very different areas of public health. You can hear all of the episodes of The Doctor Is In at: https://dragondigitalradio.podbean.com/category/the-doctor-is-in
Featured Video
The Bonavitacola Family shares their experience with opioid overdose and how it can happen in any family.