Baltimore’s Penn North on Edge: Unpacking the Roots of a Devastating Overdose Cluster
- Dion Saunders
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
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Here in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 18th, 2025, 5 people were hospitalized and prior to that, there was a mass overdose where over 27 people overdosed 2 weeks before. These series of tragic overdoses have shaken the community, bringing to light the deep struggles of addiction and its connections to mental health. With the number of overdoses rising, local residents are forced to confront reality, making it clear that understanding these issues are vital for healing and support. This is about real families being affected by such tragedies. Coming together means taking mental health seriously in the Black community and responding with kindness.
Understanding the Overdose Crisis in Penn North
According to WYPR - 88.1 FM Baltimore | By Scott Maucione
"Last week, 27 people in the Penn North neighborhood of West Baltimore overdosed on drugs nearly simultaneously. The incident is one of the largest mass overdoses in recent memory and a sobering reminder of the toll the opioid epidemic is still taking on the city as hundreds of people continue to die every year. Now Penn North and the city at large are working to help the area recover and get to the bottom of what happened". “We’ve never seen anything like it”. - Published July 14, 2025 at 4:10 PM EDT
The Penn North area has long grappled with socio-economic difficulties, and the recent surge in overdose cases is a painful reminder of the issue's urgency. Many of these incidents are linked to opioids, with 70% of overdose deaths in the area attributed to these substances. Contributing factors include heightened stress levels, trauma experienced by community members, and significant barriers to accessing mental health care. As news of these tragedies spreads, residents are left asking how they can help their neighbors. The recent spike in overdoses is not just alarming; it highlights a dire need for comprehensive support and resources within the community. Families are shattered, with heart-wrenching stories of loved ones lost to addiction serving as a stark call to action.
The Connection Between Addiction and Mental Health
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and chronic exposure to violence in Baltimore’s under served Black neighborhoods increase the risk of mental health disorders such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety—conditions that often go undiagnosed or untreated. Many turn to substance use as a coping mechanism, which leads to addiction. This self-medication cycle is deeply rooted in untreated or undiagnosed mental health conditions. Black individuals are less likely to receive proper mental health diagnoses and more likely to be misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders. Instead of being offered therapy or mental health support, many are funneled into the criminal justice system, especially in Baltimore, where the war on drugs heavily policed Black communities. Generations of housing discrimination (redlining), economic exclusion, and police violence have contributed to deep-rooted trauma. This results in normalized suffering and emotional suppression, with mental illness often stigmatized or viewed as a moral failure rather than a health issue.
Addiction in Baltimore's Black community is not simply about drugs—it's about pain.
Pain that has been layered, silenced, criminalized, and passed on. Without culturally affirming, trauma-informed, and accessible mental health care, the cycle continues.
Safe Holistic Approaches to Recovery
Here are some approaches to consider for Addiction Recovery:
Tapping into Trauma Informed Yoga and Mindfulness, this helps to regulate the nervous system, reducing cravings, and reconnect the body to the mind after trauma and substance use.
Getting into Herbal/Nutritional Support, as this helps repair the body but also builds rituals for one to do to hold themselves accountable for their health by making wise decisions.
Creating Peer Support Groups and Healing Circles. Now this helps reduce isolation, provide accountability, and share emotional burdens in safe community spaces. This also helps you tap into your ancestral side, by sitting in a circle and releasing what is burdening you. Having a village is important.
Diving into Art Therapy and Expressive Healing Therapy, as this allows suppressed emotions to surface and be processed non-verbally; reducing shame and increases self-expression.
And lastly, having Medication-Assisted Treatment with Holistic Care, as this combines specific drugs with holistic support like acupuncture, therapy, herbs, and case management.
Conclusion
The opioid crisis in Baltimore, particularly in historically under served Black communities like Penn North, demands more than quick fixes or surface-level solutions. It calls for a deep, holistic response rooted in compassion, community, and cultural understanding. By embracing healing approaches that honor the mind, body, spirit, and history of those affected, we open new pathways to recovery and resilience. Whether through herbal support, trauma-informed care, spiritual practices, or peer connection, recovery is not only possible—it is already happening. The more we uplift these tools and create safe spaces for healing, the closer we move toward collective liberation and lasting transformation.
Sources:
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found strong ties between trauma, lack of access to care, and substance use in Baltimore’s most impacted zip codes, like 21217 (Penn North) and 21223 (West Baltimore).
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI Maryland), and the Baltimore City Health Department reports show racial disparities in treatment access and outcomes.
Baltimore’s “Racism as a Public Health Crisis” resolution (2020) and the Urban Institute have documented how structural racism continues to drive health disparities.
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