Facilities will support residential treatment for addiction and substance use disorders, including opioid misuse
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced $1.5 million in grant funding that will support residential treatment centers in the county for those facing substance use disorders. These grants are the County’s largest investment in residential treatment and will create a coordinated and collaborative system of care among three facilities in Howard County – Tuerk/Howard House, Hilda’s Place, and Sheppard Pratt. These facilities will for the first time in Howard County be providing a full continuum of care for those facing addiction or substance use disorder. Photos of the event can be found here.
These $1.5 million in grants will ensure safe, accessible, and successful residential treatment right here in Howard County. To safeguard a coordinated and collaborative system of care among these three residential treatment facilities in Howard County, we will also be collecting data and tracking performance metrics for these investments. I am confident that these efforts will help patients navigate different levels of care at and between providers. As we embark on this one-of-a-kind partnership, thank you again to our providers for expanding your services, and working collaboratively to prioritize positive patient outcomes.
Residential treatment options for people with substance use disorders, including opioid addiction, have been and continue to be extremely limited in Howard County. Given that the services will be provided across three separate organizations, it was critical that the County put safeguards in place to prevent the discontinuation of care and ensure a collaborative and interconnected system of care across these three providers. These grants will help address the reasons patients discontinue care, including: a lack of care coordination among residential and outpatient treatment providers; a lack of access to reliable transportation; and a lack of access to other community supports.
The grants will fund:
- A dedicated transportation service for Howard County clients who need rides to and from residential, outpatient, and other medical appointments in the county.
- Case managers and peer support specialists for each provider who will personally guide individuals through the different phases of treatment and help navigate clients to available community services.
- Regular trainings for all peers, case managers, and behavioral health staff to learn best practices.
“It is through a vast continuum of interconnected services that Sheppard Pratt is able to help people address both their substance use and mental health issues simultaneously,” said Harsh K. Trivedi, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt. “Thanks to the generous support of Howard County, we will be developing care coordination and transportation services so that people accessing care at our new Baltimore/Washington Campus, our Howard County clinic, and with other partners will have a seamless transition to ongoing, supportive services across Howard County.”
“Hilda’s Place’s mission is to provide services for women who are homeless, mentally ill, and suffer from addiction in Howard County,” said Hilda’s Place Founder/CEO Theresa Thomas. “We are excited about our opportunity to expand services through this grant, and support more of our residents.”
“We would like to thank the Howard County Government for the grant they have given to Tuerk House,” said Tuerk/Howard House Executive Director Bernard Foster. “With this grant, we can expand our team and thus expand the number of individuals we are able to assist in recovering.”
County Executive Ball has been dedicated to combatting addiction and substance use disorders, including opioid misuse, since elected in 2018. Since taking office, the Ball administration has collaborated with community partners and stakeholders to:
- Open the Crisis Stabilization Center at Grassroots for individuals in need of immediate care 24/7, often used as an alternative to the emergency room.
- Renovate one of the County’s properties to open Howard House, a halfway house for men.
- Open a halfway house for women, Hilda’s Place.
- Fund Behavioral Health Navigators and support the Health Department in launching a Mobile Unit for Community Based Opioid Initiatives.
- With the Health Department, grow the number of outpatient providers in the county from approximately five in 2016 to now over 20.