City of Annapolis Announces NO HARM Narcan Distribution and Opioid Overdose Outreach During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Mayor’s Office of the City of Annapolis will launch NO HARM (Neighbors Organized Helping Avoid Reduce Mortality ) COVID-19 Crisis Narcan Distribution, a neighborhood-driven outreach program to address opioid overdoses and substance use disorder prevention and recovery in the City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting this week NO HARM Neighborhood Outreach Volunteers will begin engagement with persons seeking Narcan or substance use disorder (SUD) prevention or treatment/recovery resources or support directly and indirectly through social media and other conferencing platforms. Narcan will be distributed courtesy of the Anne Arundel County Department of Health. All NO HARM COVID-19 volunteers will follow CDC guidelines and recommendations by Maryland Harm Reduction Action Network when delivering services.

NO HARM is the third phase of Mayor Gavin Buckley’s Fatal Overdose Prevention Program, the Naptown Anti-Dope Move(meant). The NAM program was developed by Adetola Ajayi and William Rowel from the Office of the Mayor as well as several local advocates and service providers in October of 2018. To learn about NAM visit, www.annapolis.gov/NAM.

“In response to the Governor’s mandated Stay Home Executive Order for COVID-19 and stress on county health systems, our office has partnered with community advocates and outreach workers,” said Mayor Buckley. He continued, “the goal is to deliver services to individuals and their family members who may be suffering through substance abuse disorders. This program is designed to help people access systems devoted to delivering harm reduction resources.

This third phase of NAM focuses on bringing harm reduction and SUD prevention and recovery resources directly to high-risk overdose neighborhoods.

For more information or to learn about how you can support the NO HARM initiative contact Adetola Ajayi (410)972-6257 or aoajayi@annapolis.gov.

To follow NO HARM on social media, visit: www.facebook.com/noharmannapolis