New online overdose dashboard highlights Maryland's opioid epidemic

BALTIMORE - Maryland's health department rolls out a new tool that can paint a clear image of the opioid crisis.

The interactive dashboard allows people to zoom in and see where fatal doses are located and who is impacted the most by the ongoing crisis.

The dashboard is a new iteration of the state's previous site.

But the dashboard will be updated monthly rather than every 90 days to track the crisis that is plaguing the state.

Right now, Maryland is looking at nearly 2,100 overdose deaths in the past year with fentanyl as the leading cause.

The new dashboard features data that can be categorized by zip code, age, race and gender.

Maps show most of the cases are in northwest Baltimore and more than 700 opioid-related deaths were Black men victims.

The age breakdown shows the crisis affects mostly men who are more than 55 years old.

The new tool can also highlight trends. Since 2020, overdose deaths are declining in Maryland but more work needs to be done to save more lives.

It features ways to access treatment for an overdose. People can use the website to find Naloxone near them to help reverse the effects of opioids.