Health officials in Maryland said Wednesday they will open the state’s first high-intensity inpatient addiction treatment center in years for children and young people in Baltimore, reflecting grim data showing the state’s youngest residents are not immune from the opioid epidemic.

In 2014, there were four teens from ages 13 to 17 who died in the state from overdoses, a number that rose to 19 in 2023.

While the numbers are a sliver of the overall overdose numbers in the city and state, both have lacked services directed at children, particularly residential programs. The new center will add 15 treatment beds for those under age 21, open to kids living anywhere in the state.

The program is being overseen by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and funded with money recovered by the state and county from legal settlements with prescription drug manufacturers and distributors.

“Adolescents under 21 have faced a lack of inpatient substance use disorder treatment options in Maryland,” said Dr. Laura Herrera Scott, Maryland health secretary, in a statement.

“By opening the state’s only high-intensity residential treatment facility for minors, we are addressing a critical gap in care, offering hope and vital support to the young people of Montgomery County and Maryland who need it most.”

At the center, kids will be monitored around the clock for medical and other needs, get their addiction treatment, reengage with their families and learn new coping skills. The services will aim to be culturally appropriate.

Maryland Treatment Centers was chosen for the new center because it already operates an outpatient substance use treatment center for adolescents in Baltimore and already had approvals to run an inpatient one.

It previously operated an inpatient center for kids, but it and others around the state closed years ago when there weren’t many referrals, which had largely come through the criminal justice system, said Meghan Westwood, chief of programs for Maryland Treatment Centers.

She said now the referrals will come from health officials, including those in Montgomery County and Baltimore, which continues to have the highest number of overdose deaths in the state.

“We’re sure we never cured the need,” she said. “This will be a critical piece of the puzzle.”

She said the center hopes to expand on the inpatient service over time, and as more funding is identified.

Marc Elrich, Montgomery County executive, said there was a lack of services in the county and beyond, and the new center will ensure “we are meeting this urgent need head on.”

Correction: A prior version of this story incorrectly stated that teenagers were included in an overdose death statistic for young children. This story has also been updated to clarify that this is not the state’s first inpatient addiction treatment center for kids, but it is the first in years.