On March 1, 2017, Governor Larry Hogan declared a public health State of Emergency in Maryland due to the heroin, opioid, and fentanyl crisis devastating communities in our region. Anne Arundel County we had 1062 opioid overdoses and 152 opioid deaths in 2017. We decided that the library needed to be part of the solution. This crisis allowed the library the opportunity to be an essential support and resource for those impacted by this epidemic.

All 16 library branches have staff trained in Naloxone/Narcan administration. We partnered with the local hospitals and Health Department to provide Narcan training for the public and hosted the County Executive Office’s Not My Child community education programs for over 250 customers. In June we began distributing 600 free drug disposal bags provided by the County Office of Emergency Management to help county residents get rid of unwanted medications in a safe manner.

One librarian saved a customer’s life by administering Narcan after an overdose. We are continuing to provide staff with Narcan training and increasing awareness about the epidemic. As of May 31, overdoses are down 5.2 percent year to date from 2017, but fatal overdoses are up 25.8 percent due to the prevalence of the potent illegal opioid fentanyl. There is more work to be done and the library is committed to being part of the solution.