Opioid-combat pilot program approved in Wicomico Co.

The Wicomico County council has granted 30,000 dollars for a pilot program to combat opioid addiction.

The money will be from the city of Salisbury, plus the Wicomico County contingency fund.

Lori Brewster, the health officer at the Wicomico County Health Department, says that fund generally consists of money set aside for special initiatives or needs.

The pilot program will hire people who are currently in recovery for opioid addiction. With the help of local law enforcement and the health department, they will be paired with people who have overdosed in the past but are reluctant to seek treatment.

According Brewster, there were more than 100 overdoses treated at Peninsula Regional Medical Center (“PRMC”) in 2015; however, 2016 is already on the track to surpass that number.

Brewster says there have been 103 cases reported in the first three months of 2016.

“I think that this will actually decrease some of the crime rates.” She tells 47ABC. “It’ll increase an individual’s knowledge and access to treatment resources in the community, as well as engage them into treatment.”

We’re told the goal is to have the program up and running by the middle of May. It’s expected to last through June.