Anne Arundel Opens Fire and Police Stations To Heroin Addicts Seeking Help

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — More than 200 people in Anne Arundel County have come to fire and police stations seeking treatment for heroin addiction. That's according to our media partners at The Baltimore Sun.

Officials say the goal of the program known as Safe Stations is to remove barriers for people seeking help for heroin and other opiate addictions.

Safe Stations include police and fire stations in Anne Arundel County that are open all day, every day. The program offers counseling, expedited treatment, and coordination with other agencies, including the court system to get people into treatment.

In the county, about 60 percent of those looking for help entered 28-day inpatient treatment programs in the county. Five percent went to outpatient treatment and 9 percent went to mental health treatment.

Anne Arundel and the City of Annapolis decided fire and police departments would be ideal because they're staffed around-the-clock and everyone knows where they are.

The state has also awarded a grant to Anne Arundel County to help more crisis counselors assist the program.

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