TOWSON, Md. — Baltimore County Council members recently voted to expand its Quick Response Team.
The team's been around for over a year.
Their job is to help people struggling with addiction.
On Mondays and Thursdays, the Quick Response Team travels all around the County visiting overdose survivors.
"We try to see them in 72 hours after an overdose, and we offer them support," said EMS Captain Amanda Wensel.
The Quick Response Team partners with the Baltimore County Health and Fire Departments.
Each shift has a paramedic and peer recovery specialist working side by side.
"We're able to offer connection to clinics to inpatient rehab, to outpatient rehab, patient resources, and it's about giving them what they need where they are right now," said Wensel.
Since forming, the team has helped more than 130 people.
That's why the Council approved $255,000 in extra funding, allowing the team to operate from two days to five days a week.
"As we see overdoses occur regularly, daily, hourly, you know, we need the team to be able to respond to those events in a timely fashion," said Alisha Gordon, Program Supervisor for QRT.
For Roger Miller, being part of the team is personal, because he's been in recovery for nearly 10 years.
"It keeps me grateful; it keeps me from going back to what I once was. Right, I can actually work with other people and develop a sense of community," said Miller.
Had the Quick Response Team been around during his struggle, Miller believes he could've gotten help sooner.
"If I had someone show up at my door when I needed that help, I would have used that help. I would have been able to utilize that help," said Miller.
