Congressman David Trone Responds to the Rising Number of Overdose Deaths in Maryland Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Trone.Press@mail.house.gov
Congressman David Trone Responds to the Rising Number of Overdose Deaths in Maryland Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
New Report from Maryland Department of Health Details Sharp Spikes in Overdose Deaths
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representative David Trone issued the following statement regarding newly-released data from the Maryland Department of Health’s Opioid Operational Command Center showing significant increases in overdose deaths in Maryland during the second quarter of 2020.
According to the new data, every county in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District saw an increase in overdose deaths:
- Garrett County — 50% increase
- Allegany County — 53.8% increase
- Washington County — 46.2% increase
- Frederick County — 3% increase
- Montgomery County — 34.2% increase
“Since the pandemic began, experts have been raising the alarm about the impact that COVID-19 would have on Marylanders suffering from mental health and substance use disorders. Sadly, these numbers released by the Maryland Department of Health earlier this week confirm those grim predictions,” said Congressman David Trone, founder of the Freshmen Working Group on Addiction.
“These numbers coming out of Western Maryland are especially alarming. These are real people with real stories in our communities, and every moment that we don’t act puts yet another life in danger.
“It’s time for Congress and the Trump Administration to step up and confront this crisis head-on. That means making sure that every American has access to affordable, high-quality mental health care. That means ending predatory prescribing practices that trap patients in the cycle of addiction. That means funding our state and local governments to make sure they can tailor their drug intervention practices that fit the needs of their own communities. And, most of all, that means coming together, both Democrats and Republicans, to end this crisis that is claiming the lives of thousands of Americans.
“I’ll continue doing everything I can in the halls of Congress to help those who are struggling with substance use. I’m calling on House Leadership to prioritize bipartisan bills to end the addiction crisis, including my Family Support Services for Addiction Act. Coronavirus has laid bare what we’ve long known to be true: we can’t wait any longer to tackle the addiction crisis. We don’t have any time to waste.”
Trone has made ending the addiction epidemic his top priority as a Member of Congress. He founded the Freshmen Working Group on Addiction, a bipartisan group of 60+ Members of Congress dedicated to ending the addiction crisis. The group has introduced more than 50 pieces of legislation to address the issue.
Earlier this year, Speaker Pelosi appointed Trone to the National Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees, where he is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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