The Naloxone Project
Maryland Chapter

The Maryland Naloxone Project is focused on educating medical staff regarding Take-Home Naloxone to reduce barriers to the distribution of this life-saving medication to people at greatest risk of experiencing an opioid overdose. The Maryland State Legislature passed the Statewide Targeted Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act in 2022, which mandates that all hospitals distribute naloxone at no cost to at-risk patients as of June 30, 2023. Next steps include submitting grant applications to obtain funding to support our mission through the development of training materials and the provision of branded kits, which will include educational materials, gloves, face shields, as well as naloxone.

345+

Total Trainees

2,949

Opioid Overdose-Related ED Visits in 2026 

Programs & Initiatives

Emergency Department Program

The Maryland Chapter was certified by the state as an Overdose Response Program (ORP), which allows us to receive shipments of no-cost naloxone from the state.

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What Maryland
has Accomplished

After the ratification of the Statewide Targeted Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, the Maryland chapter began to position itself to help hospitals implement this mandate and work with them to educate and train their staff.

    • The STOP Act mandate goes into effect, requiring all hospitals to distribute naloxone at no cost to at-risk patients.

    • The Maryland Chapter was certified by the state as an Overdose Response Program (ORP).

    • Our first training session was at a regional drug treatment program where about 20 staff members were trained and given naloxone.

    • All interns in the University of Maryland Emergency Medicine Residency were trained (~15).

    • Training for all incoming first-year medical students as well as the rising second-year medical students (~310 total trainees).

Partners of the Maryland Chapter

  • University of Maryland School of Medicine

Maryland Leadership

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Dr. Gentry Wilkerson- State Chair

Dr. Wilkerson is the Director of Clinical Research and Assistant Residency Program Director at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Department of Emergency Medicine. He also serves as the clinical leader of the University of Maryland Medical Center Adult Sickle Cell Disease Program. He is the Co-Chair of the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Opioid Safety Council. He started the Take Home Naloxone initiative in the emergency department in 2017, and then in 2018 he co-developed the guidance for buprenorphine induction in the ED for UMMC. In 2015, Dr. Wilkerson received the Outstanding Teacher Award from the UMEM Residency Program. In 2016, he was chosen as a National Foundation Emergency Medicine Scholar, a two-year award to support research. In 2021, he was named a National Foundation Emergency Medicine Mentor.