Annapolis, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today joined with Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford to announce the establishment of both the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force and a separate Inter-Agency Coordinating Council. Both groups will work and support efforts to address Maryland’s growing heroin and opioid crisis.
“For far too long, state and local agencies have worked in silos with little communication and less coordination,” said Governor Hogan. “The purpose of the inter-agency council and task force is to connect the dots of prevention, treatment, and recovery and maximize our resources and expertise to come up with real solutions to save and restore lives.”
By signing Executive Order 01.01.2015.12, Governor Hogan formally created the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, a group which is made up of law enforcement professionals, elected officials, and substance abuse experts. The task force will meet regularly and solicit input and guidance from a wide variety of sources throughout the state. The group will also meet with and receive guidance from educators, families of those suffering from addiction, and other vested stakeholders.
The members of the Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force are:
•The Honorable Julie S. Solt, Frederick County Circuit Court
•Delegate Brett Wilson, District 2B, Washington County
•Sheriff Timothy Cameron, St. Mary’s County
•Tracey Myers-Preston, MD Addiction Directors Council
•Dr. Bankole Johnson, UMD School of Medicine, Psychiatry Department Chair
•Michael B. Finegan, Peninsula Mental Health Services
•Dr. Marc Fishman, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
•Elizabeth Embry, Attorney General’s Office, Chief of the Criminal Division
