Community outreach organizations are stepping up in Baltimore’s Penn North neighborhood after a suspected mass overdose event hospitalized at least 27 people on Thursday, July 10.
First responders from the Baltimore City Fire and Health departments were dispatched around 9:25AM following reports of multiple individuals exhibiting overdose symptoms across the area, per CBS News.
Victims were found along Pennsylvania and North Avenues, subway platforms, and in nearby alleyways, prompting a Level One mass casualty declaration.
WBAL TV reports that the crisis has rattled local officials and residents alike, reigniting calls for stronger overdose prevention, quicker access to treatment, and more robust emergency resources.
“This is a level one mass casualty event,” said Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace, via PEOPLE. “So, for us, regardless of the nature of the call, the amount of patients scripts how we respond to this. And we've done just that."
At least 27 people were hospitalized, at least five of them critically.
Authorities have not confirmed what substance was involved, but the Baltimore City Health Department quickly distributed Narcan at the scene. Witnesses suggested a drug known as “New Jack City” may have been laced, though this remains unverified, according to CBS News.
In the wake of the emergency, community organizations - including the Enoch Pratt Free Library - have been on the ground, offering life-saving resources and harm reduction tools like fentanyl test strips and Narcan, the Mayor's website detailed.
Peer supervisors from the library's navigation program, many of whom are in recovery themselves, are serving as role models and first points of contact for those at risk.
Experts have stated that access to treatment must follow quickly after intervention. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, a public health professor at Johns Hopkins, told CBS: “If someone is told they can get treatment in two days, that delay could cost them their momentum, or even their life. We need same-day access.”
Baltimore is beginning to expand such access, and advocates hope this tragedy accelerates that momentum.
Meanwhile, officials continue to investigate the incident as a potential crime. The Penn North Metro station was shut down, and bus services rerouted. Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Jones confirmed the area is an active crime scene, per WBAL TV.
Baltimore's state attorney, Ivan Bates, has responded to the incident, calling it a "powerful reminder" of the city's "ongoing battle against the opioid epidemic", BBC News reports.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths have increased by 500% between 1999 and 2022 in the United States.
As the city responds, community leaders stress one clear message: support, safety, and connection save lives, and must remain front and center.