Two generations ago, very few individuals imagined rural Calvert County could be a place with drug issues. However, others realized that rather than wish the scourge away, Calvert needed to prepare. A major component of the plan to prepare to deal with the problem is now in operation. On Tuesday, Aug. 28 county and state officials gathered to dedicate the Calvert County Substance Abuse Treatment Center.
Calvert County Commissioners’ President Gerald W. “Jerry” Clark [R] noted that prescription drug abuse in the county has had “an alarming rise.”
“It’s not just pills, PCP has popped up again,” said Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. [D-District 27]. Of the new, state-of-the-art facility, Miller remarked, “this is progress on the state and county level.”
John Mitchell, the director of the Calvert County Health Department’s Core Service Agency, commended county officials for providing 52 percent of substance abuse treatment program’s funding. Other money comes from the state, sometimes in the form of specifically designated grants, and fees paid by clients. Mitchell pointed out that the 52 percent county allocation is “the highest percentage [among jurisdictions] in the state.”
Mitchell thanked two recent retirees—predecessor Doug Weems and longtime Calvert County Health Officer Dr. David Rogers—for their foresight. “They were instrumental in putting this building together,” said Mitchell.
The facility has over a dozen offices, rooms for group counseling and includes four testing rooms.
Office Manager Maritrese Nash said the office opens each weekday morning at 8 a.m. “and the phones start ringing.” The clients include children—usually starting with middle school students—and adults. Some of the adolescent clients are referred to the treatment center by the school system.
Nash said in addition to the center—located a short distance from the Calvert County Detention Center on Stafford Road—the county’s substance abuse treatment program has satellite offices in Chesapeake Beach and Lusby.
The clientele is not limited to Calvert County residents. Mitchell said the target treatment is 90 days.
Nash acknowledged there is considerable recidivism, which i
