Troy R. Bennett | BDN Lighted paper bags stand as memorials to those lost at a drug overdose victims' vigil in Portland's Monument Square in 2015. By Michael Shepherd, BDN Staff • January 24, 2019 9:00 am Updated: January 24, 2019 10:54 am Good morning from Augusta. Gov. Janet Mills has finished nominating commissioners and is moving on to hire advisers to fulfill key campaign promises — fighting the opioid epidemic that and improving relations with Maine’s Indian tribes. The ... Read More ›

By Erin Schumaker Please go to the Huffington Post to read the full article. ~~Excerpt On her first full day in office, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) took a promising and decisive step toward tackling the state’s opioid crisis. In a reversal of the prior administration’s recalcitrant stance, Mills signed an executive order to expand the state’s Medicaid program, which would extend health care coverage to tens of thousands more low-income residents, including those dealing ... Read More ›

By: Deborah McDermott January 5th, 2019 Please go to seacoastonline to read the full article.  ~~Excerpt Stan’s story may sound familiar. Injured on the job years ago, the middle-aged man became addicted to pain medication, and so easily transitioned to heroin. He used, his wife used, his son used, “just to feel normal,” he said. David, a young Seacoast resident, has already been in jail on heroin possession charges. “I was in a bad breakup, and I wanted to mask the pain. Heroin ... Read More ›

Because officials used older data, the state missed a key cutoff, and funding dropped precipitously. Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article.  BY JOE LAWLOR, STAFF WRITER ~~ Excerpt After drug overdose deaths rose to record levels in Maine in 2017, the Trump administration used 2016 data in the funding formula for a grant program, depriving the state of millions of additional dollars to support treatment and prevention programs for the opioid ... Read More ›

Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article.  Malory Shaughnessy, executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, a nonprofit group, said she’s pleased to see the increase and other improvements in the Opioid Health Homes program. But she noted that critics pointed out the flaws in the Opioid Health Homes model in 2017, and state officials were slow to react. “We told them these same things nearly two years ago,” Shaughnessy said. “It’s ... Read More ›

Provider Input Needed! Posted on September 20, 2018 Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services is conducting an independent assessment of Children’s Behavioral Health Services Maine has hired Public Consulting Group (PCG) to conduct the assessment. The assessment will look to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in Maine’s existing service options for children and families. This includes, but is not limited to: home and community services; crisis services; emergency services; ... Read More ›

"In addition, Wellspring projects a $40,000 loss for its men’s and women’s residential facilities. The agency has waitlists for its residential services, but the reality is that it sometimes takes a day or two to reach clients and get them in the door — time for which Wellspring won’t be paid under a fee-for-service model. It will instead look for private donations to fill the gap. “The big question is what happens if you don’t find that funding,” Farley ... Read More ›

"After asking members to assess the impact last month, Shaughnessy said she heard back from seven who said the collective loss would be $3.5 million". Malory Shaughnessy, Executive Director, AAMHS https://www.pressherald.com/2018/06/27/state-funding-change-may-complicate-substance-abuse-treatment-efforts/ ... Read More ›

“I am feeling very frustrated because we have put in a lot of hours and a lot of work looking at the opioid crisis in Maine,” said Malory Shaughnessy, executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services and a member of a state task force that recommended dozens of actions to the Legislature. “Now they are all caught up in the political process, and people are dying every day.” Legislature criticized for failing to address opioid crisis Drug addiction specialists and ... Read More ›