Editor’s note: This story, which was originally published June 25 at 4:30 p.m., was updated June 30 at 10:30 a.m. to correct the title of Ben Stevenson II, the Acting Manager over Prevention and Harm Reduction Services with the Department of Health and Human Services.
Six months into 2025, Montgomery County is continuing to see a decline in overdose deaths when compared to previous years, Ben Stevenson II, Acting Manager over Prevention and Harm Reduction Services with the Department of Health and Human Services, told the County Council on Tuesday.
So far, the county has seen 20 fatal overdoses, according to a report by the county Department of Health and Human Services presented by Stevenson. In 2024, there were 83 fatal overdose deaths, a drop from 138 in 2023.
The 2025 numbers include a 23% decrease in fatal overdoses, 32% for fatal overdoses involving opioids, 25% for fatal overdoses involving fentanyl and 20% for fatal overdoses involving alcohol, when compared to the figures at this point last year, according to county health officials.
In the first four months of 2025, fentanyl was involved in 60% of all fatal overdoses in the county, versus 73% across the state, and cocaine-related fatal overdoses accounted for 35%, compared to 52% for Maryland. Alcohol also was involved in 40% of the fatal overdose cases in the county, compared to 15% of those that occurred throughout the state.
“Fentanyl is still a driving force in a lot of those fatalities,” Stevenson told the council.
On Tuesday, Stevenson along with county health officials delivered a biannual report to the council focusing on public health and the progress of the Department of Health and Human Services’ programs. This report has traditionally been used to inform councilmembers and guide decisions regarding public health-related legislation and spending by the county.
The county has amped up its substance use education efforts over the past few years, following a documented increase in fentanyl as a factor in fatal overdoses. Youth fentanyl overdoses have also been a hot topic after youth and adolescent overdoses increased by nearly 80% in 2022 in the county. The county government and Montgomery County Public Schools officials have partnered on education and prevention efforts in response.
“Even though we’re still seeing challenges around substances, we did see that major reduction in 2023 and 2024, which is attributed to a lot of the work that we’ve been doing in the county to address substance use,” Stevenson said.
Those efforts include significantly increased distribution of the overdose-reversal drug Naxolone and training in how to administer it, substance use curriculum for students, harm reduction and treatment initiatives and an increase recovery support efforts for incarcerated individuals.
The health department is also keeping an eye on alcohol intoxication deaths. According to county data, the highest rates of alcohol-related deaths, hospitalizations and driver-under-the-influence (DUI) incidents involve the Hispanic community, particularly Hispanic males. Health officials said Tuesday they are working on new strategies to reach this population.
“We’re looking specifically at putting out more information through printable materials, Spanish radio interviews, using Facebook and social media avenues and things like that, and having community health workers to do outreach in different spaces,” Stevenson said.
Earlier this year, Montgomery County was ranked as the healthiest county in Maryland and among the healthiest in the country, outranking other jurisdictions in life expectancy, vaccination rates and more. But a recent county report released in April illustrated that health disparities persist between white residents and Black and Hispanic county residents.
The Health in Montgomery County 2013-2022 report highlights the ways the county performs better in health outcomes than many parts of the state and country, including low rates of premature death and fewer visits to the emergency room for substance use.
But the report also illustrated that health outcomes are more disparate for the county’s marginalized demographics, particularly for the Black and Hispanic communities.
