Baltimore city hospitals soon will be scored on how prepared they are to respond to the opioid epidemic, the city's health department announced Monday.

Acute care hospitals will be assessed on criteria such as whether they can "provide treatment for patients who screen positive for addiction, distribute naloxone to patients, connect patients with peers or other support services, and ensure physicians are prescribing opioids judiciously," according to a release on the initiative.

"Hospitals alone cannot end this epidemic, but it cannot be ended without them," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen said in a statement. "Addiction is a disease and treatment exists. Together, we will build upon the work that's already been done and make Baltimore City a national model for treating addiction alongside every other disease. That means treating addiction in our traditional health care institutions, including hospitals."

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