Baltimore leaders, first responders and news crews swarmed the intersection of Pennsylvania and North avenues last week following a mass overdose that left more than two dozen people hospitalized.

But the attention on the area vanished quickly, Vennieth McCormick, executive director of drug treatment program New Life Recovery Center, told City Council members Wednesday.

“Now the cameras are gone. The subway’s open again. But I can tell you, because I was down there this morning, it’s business as usual,” he said.

At the City Council’s first public hearing on overdoses since a “bad batch” of illegal drugs sent at least 27 people at Penn North to area hospitals in critical or serious condition, McCormick and other leaders of treatment programs and community organizations implored city leaders for more financial support.

“We have to bring some services to the people on a regular basis,” McCormick said to members of the Public Health and Environment Committee.

Dave Fell, outreach manager for Behavioral Health Leadership Institute, told city leaders he was especially struck by the account of an overdose survivor interviewed by The Baltimore Banner who finally sought treatment after 45 years of drug addiction, only to find the program was closed for the weekend.

“Very few of these orgs are able to secure the funding needed to truly be there when people need us the most,” said Fell, whose group operates a mobile clinic that treats opioid addiction, primarily among people recently released from jail or struggling with homelessness.

Last week’s emergency was a stark reminder of the scale of Baltimore’s overdose crisis, which had become far more deadly than that of any other major U.S. cities in recent years.

But it also comes at a time of unprecedented opportunity for the city.

By the end of this year, Baltimore expects to receive more than $260 million from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, with more on the way from a multimillion-dollar jury and other awards that are under litigation.

City leaders have already committed $36.7 million to organizations named in confidential settlement negotiations and various government agencies.

But only $2 million was set aside this year for community organizations looking to compete for money, a budget detail that dismayed many workers of cash-strapped nonprofits, some facing uncertain futures amid federal funding cuts.

Damon Marshall, CEO of Nuwave Health Services, said on Wednesday he left a recent discussion about opioid funding feeling disappointed.

“The funds were allocated to the same people and organizations that have been receiving funds from the City of Baltimore for a very long time, with not much happening from them,” he said.

Councilwoman Phylicia Porter, chair of the committee, said she is committed to ensuring that community organizations are adequately funded in their fight against overdoses.

“There are many generations that have been lost because of this crisis,” Porter said. “However, there is an opportunity here for generations moving forward to be benefited in Baltimore as a collective, as a whole, to truly be transformed in a way we’ve never seen before.”

Councilman James Torrence, whose district covers portions of West Baltimore, asked for city staff to provide a detailed breakdown of community organizations funded by the city that serve Penn North. He also asked for the city to assemble a group to discuss how to address substance use, crime and development in the neighborhood.

Earlier on Wednesday, the city’s spending board approved $10 million of new opioid money over five years to go to Behavioral Health System Baltimore for raising awareness about the region’s 988 system, a hotline akin to 911 that residents can call when they need assistance with a behavioral health crisis.

City Administrator Faith Leach said funds will pay for a public relations campaign that will include billboards and bus advertisements. An outreach manager will be hired, and polling will be conducted annually.

The board also approved $1 million for Turnaround Tuesday, which will help 50 people a year in addiction treatment to find jobs, and $1.8 million for Bmore POWER, a group of street outreach workers employed by Behavioral Health System Baltimore to serve people who use drugs, including in Penn North.