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New Heroin Treatment Center Opens In Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- As big and small cities around the country, including Baltimore, target the heroin epidemic, a new treatment center is opening up in the city---this comes as police make a big heroin bust this week.

Gigi Barnett has more.

An eight month sting on a heroin ring ended when agents arrested eight people in Anne Arundel County last week for importing, selling and packaging heroin. The street value was half a million dollars.

But the fight to kick the habit for addicts starts at one of the city's newest drug treatment programs. It's called Concerted Care Group in north Baltimore. Long-time drug users who want to get clean say they notice the difference right away.

"All the other drug programs are the same," said George Fields.

Concerted Care Group---also called CCG---opened up back in February as the city and state boosted efforts to stem the rise in heroin deaths.

For years, Baltimore has been the epicenter of the heroin epidemic. CCG says to kick the habit for good, former addicts need many different services---including medical and psychological treatment---to be successful.

"People need group treatment, they need a shared experience, they need to have all of their multiple concerns addressed at once," officials say.

"You talk about hell on earth, I've spent half of my life in hell," said Gary Wilson.

But now, for Wilson---like so many of CCG's other 700 clients---the program gives him something to do, which leaves no time for drugs.

"If you don't have a plant, idle time is the devil's time," said Norman Wilson.

Concerted Care Group plans to open two more sites in Baltimore but declined to say where for fear its plan will be derailed.

Last year, heroin and prescription drug addictions killed nearly 900 people. About 40% of those deaths happened in the city.

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