CHHS Senior Policy Analyst Birch Barron has been working for the past several months as the Deputy Director for the Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC) and Chief of Staff to Clay Stamp, Governor Hogan’s choice to lead Maryland’s effort to confront the opioid crisis.
Governor Hogan signed an executive order earlier this year declaring a State of Emergency in Maryland for the opioid crisis in Maryland. The order allows state agencies to work together through the OOCC to develop goals and objectives to confront the crisis, and to serve as a clearinghouse for key data that will assist stakeholders in fighting the epidemic in their own communities.
As part of Barron’s work, he has given a series of public presentations about the OOCC’s effort:
- On November 9th, Barron presented as part of the Towson University Badolato Speaker Series to address the Opioid Epidemic’s impact on National Security.
- On November 14th, Barron presented a Webinar for the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management.
- This past Monday, Barron spoke on a panel convened by Congressman (and Democratic Whip) Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams (he speaks at around the 31:00 and 1:37 minute marks of the linked video).
Through Barron’s leadership, CHHS is proud to play in role in coordinating the response to this deadly epidemic. For more information about the Maryland Opioid Operational Command Center, click here.
