Trone Calls on Immediate Action Following 111% Increase in Opioid Deaths in Parts of Maryland
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov
Trone Calls on Immediate Action Following 111% Increase in Opioid Deaths in Parts of Maryland
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman David Trone issued the following statement in response to new data from the Maryland Department of Health’s Opioid Operational Command Center reporting astronomical spikes in overdose deaths in the third quarter of 2020.
The report reveals that overdose deaths in Maryland increased by 12.1% in the first nine months of 2020 compared to 2019, with significant increases in overdose deaths reported in every county in Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District.
- Allegany County — 111.1% increase
- Washington County — 36.8% increase
- Garrett County — 25.0% increase
- Montgomery County — 14.7% increase
- Frederick County — 2.1% increase
“The devastating increases in overdose deaths throughout my district and the state of Maryland confirm that we are not doing nearly enough to support those with substance use disorders through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congressman Trone, member of the national Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking. “As politicians argue in Washington, real people are dying from overdoses and mental health challenges across the country. We cannot waste any time to increase funds for treatment programs, connect individuals with the care they need, and bolster our prevention efforts to curb the addiction epidemic. We need all hands on deck. Lives are at stake.”
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 Appropriations Committee in the 117th Congress and previously served on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone 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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