With medical attention focused on the coronavirus, and concerns about spread of the disease curtailing interactions between patients and health care providers, we discuss how non-coronavirus health care is being affected. How are mental health treatment, dental care, and other medical issues being addressed? Read/Hear Complete NPR Report Here ... Read More ›
News
The Census 2020 – Let’s get Counted Maine!
What is the Census? Alliance Census 2020 Facts Link Here What is the Census and Why is it Important? The census is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau every ten years. The Constitution requires that every person in the United States be counted—adults, children and babies, citizens, immigrants, and anyone living in this country. States use census data to determine representation in Congress. States and localities also use census data to plan where health clinics, schools, and roads will be ... Read More ›
State Task Force Urges Maine to Phase Out Only Juvenile Facility
Please go to Public News Service to read the full article. By: Laura Rosbrow-Telem ~~Excerpt Malory Shaughnessy is the executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services in Maine and a task force member. Shaughnessy says one of the biggest challenges is the low level of Medicaid reimbursement for behavioral-health treatment. "We have empty beds in our residential treatment units because reimbursement rates have not kept up and they cannot afford to hire ... Read More ›
$6M grant will help Maine fight opioid crisis through employment training
Please go to Mainebiz to read the full article. By: Staff ~~Excerpt Up to $6.28 million in federal funds awarded this week will go toward building employment and expanding life-changing services in areas of Maine affected by the opioid crisis. With the immediate release of over $2 million, the U.S. Department of Labor grant will create and expand workforce development initiatives aimed at providing education, training, employment and supportive services to those in recovery from ... Read More ›
Maine DHHS is resisting bids to fully fund waitlists as 2020 budget plan advances
Please go to Bangor Daily News to read the full article. By: Caitlin Andrews, BDN Staff ~~Excerpt AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills dedicated parts of her $127 million spending plan toward programs in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, but her administration is resisting bigger-money bids in the Legislature to fund expensive waitlists. At the same time, the Mills administration has been resisting two legislative efforts to inject money into expensive programs with ... Read More ›
Maine doesn’t need more studies on jail overcrowding. It needs action.
Please go to Bangor Daily News to read the full editorial. By: The Editorial Board ~~Excerpt “Maine faces a severe prisoner population problem. The number of inmates incarcerated in … county jails has grown far beyond expectations in recent years, stressing the capacity of existing facilities and showing no sign of slowing down.” This statement could have been made yesterday by a county sheriff or state correctional official. It was not. Rather, it is from the opening page of a 2004 ... Read More ›
Aroostook Mental Health Center receives grant for suicide prevention work
Please go to The County to read the full article. By: Contributed ~~Excerpt CARIBOU, Maine — Aroostook Mental Health Center is one of several organizations in five states that received a three year grant to focus on suicide prevention efforts. Because one suicide is one too many, the initiative is called “Zero Suicide.” “We are so pleased to have the Maine CDC and Federal CDC recognize our work in suicide prevention,” said Michelle Ferris, director of emergency services. “The CDC ... Read More ›
Now is the time to mend Maine’s frayed mental health safety net
Please go to the Bangor Daily News to read the full opinion article. By: Malory Shaughnessy, opinion guest column ~~Excerpt There’s a common thread that connects some of the most important issues facing Maine today — issues that the governor has highlighted and the Legislature is struggling to address. Whether it’s criminal justice reform, closing Long Creek Youth Development Center, fixing the problems in our child protective system, or fighting back against the impacts of the deadly ... Read More ›
Our View: Maine’s opioid epidemic is far from over
Please go to Central Maine Online to read the full editorial. We're doing most of the right things to save lives. We just need to do more. ~~Excerpt The report from Maine’s chief medical examiner was disappointing but should not have been a surprise for anyone who has been living through the opioid epidemic. Overdose deaths appear to be on the rise again after a slight decline in 2018 that gave the false impression that the crisis was subsiding. But according to the state, 277 people ... Read More ›
Event: Constellations in Action
Monday, March 30th, 2020 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Location: The Hutchinson Center As people learn about themselves with resonance and understanding, they are freed to find their own way to healing and the natural expression of who they were born to be. The essence of this work is to learn to resonate with ourselves and others so that our foundation and generous selves are unearthed from implicit entanglements and supported to be as integrated and complex as we are supposed to be. DURING THIS ... Read More ›