evidence: - Prevent deaths from overdose and save lives. In 2015, Dr. Wen declared opioid overdose a public health emergency. The most critical part of BCHD’s opioid overdose prevention campaign has been expanding access to naloxone, the lifesaving drug that reverses the effect of an opioid drug overdose. In October 2015, a new law went into effect that allowed Dr. Wen to issue a "standing order" and prescribe naloxone to the City’s 620,000 residents. Baltimore City became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to expand access to naloxone using a standing order.