In early March, County Executive Hornberger announced the Cecil County Opioid Summit, which was held on April 23, 2021. This summit brought together health professionals, a number of individuals in recovery, government officials, community partners, and law enforcement to discuss the opioid crisis and brainstorm actionable tasks the County can take to prevent opioid abuse. Topic areas covered prevention, support, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and public safety. The summit’s agenda consisted of remarks from County leaders, presentations from experts, and breakout discussion sessions. These breakout sessions included genuine conversation regarding ways to collaborate, current practices, barriers, ideas to overcome those barriers, and how best to share data and information between stakeholders.

A report on the breakout sessions, the summit’s agenda and attendee list, and a recording of the speakers and presentation can be found in the links below.

• Opioid Summit Report

• Opioid Summit Agenda

• Opioid Summit Attendee List

• Recording

In June, Executive Hornberger announced the reestablishment of the Opioid Intervention Team (OIT) and tasked the team with the creation of a County-specific strategic plan to combat opioid abuse.

The OIT will draft a strategic plan based on the reports from the Opioid Transition Committee and the Pandit Group, from information gathered from stakeholders at the Opioid Summit, and from constituent input. This strategic plan will provide the County Administration, and its community partners, with actionable tasks that can be taken to reduce opioid abuse in Cecil County.

On 7/28/2021, the OIT hosted a public forum for citizen comment on the team’s proposed goals and strategic priorities. A preliminary list of the team’s goals can be found below.

Proposed Goals:

1. Reduce the number of overdose deaths in Cecil County
2. Increase the number of people receiving evidence-based treatment and recovery services
3. Foster a culture of health including mental wellness and substance use prevention
4. Develop a comprehensive data management and program evaluation system to inform services and track outcomes
5. Improve access to treatment programs, recovery services, and support for families and professionals
6. Reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance use
7. Improve and enhance collaborative efforts between community partners and systems

 A recording of the public forum can be found here.