Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article.  The nonprofit says Maine's stagnant Medicaid reimbursement rates led to mounting losses that forced it to close the program that assists adult mental health patients with daily tasks. By: Joe Lawlor, Staff Writer ~~Excerpt Shalom House says Maine’s stagnant Medicaid reimbursement rates have forced the Portland nonprofit to shut down a support service it provides to 170 mental health patients. The service – called ... Read More ›

Please go to the Bangor Daily News to read the full article.  By: Willis Ryder Arnold, Maine Public ~~Excerpt Alyssa, 25, is also in recovery from meth use, which she said helped create a false sense of connection with other people. But now she’s found real connections with others through recovery. “Having a community to help guide me to my best life and, like, hold my hand and love me when I can’t love myself has been a huge, huge part of, like, finding hope in this world,” she ... Read More ›

Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article.  Some providers say the rates have been static for years, and are so low that services are at risk. By Joe Lawlor, Staff Writer ~~Excerpt The state will conduct a comprehensive review of its Medicaid reimbursement rates for treatment of mental health and substance abuse as well as for adults with intellectual disabilities and developmental disorders.     ... Read More ›

Please go to WABI to read the full article.  By: Owen Kinglsey ~~Excerpt Every Monday, the Waldo County Recovery Committee meets to to focus on the area's opioid abuse. "The problem was that we had substance use issue in our community. And no one was talking about it," said Tim Hughes, a doctor with Seaport Community Health Care. "We're trying to have an impact on the opioid crisis in Waldo County. And the mental health crisis in Waldo County, because they're closely tied to each ... Read More ›

Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read this article.  The number of adults getting treatment has nearly doubled since the state expanded the health care program, and wait times are swelling. By: Joe Lawlor Greg Lavertu at his home in Rumford earlier this month. Lavertu, one of the Mainers newly covered by Medicaid expansion, is now able to have the medication he needs for his schizophrenia diagnosis and can see a therapist once a week. “They let me fall through the cracks ... Read More ›

Please go to the Bangor Daily News to read the full article.  By: Charles Eichacker ~~Excerpt A drug and alcohol detoxification center that opened in Hampden two years ago has recently expanded its services in a way that could help more people inside and outside the Bangor region get into recovery. When New Horizons Detox Center opened at the start of 2018, the 10-bed facility was only able to serve patients who were referred to it by the emergency departments of Bangor’s two ... Read More ›

Please go to The Piscataquis Observer to read the full article.  By: Staff ~~Excerpt WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Angus King, I-Maine announced that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program has awarded a total of $2,181,629 to several rural healthcare organizations and educational institutions throughout Maine. The funds will help six Maine organizations expand their online services, allowing them to ... Read More ›

Please go to The County to read the full article.  Krystal Griffiths and Andrea Chasse (Courtesy of AMHC) By: Contributed ~~ Excerpt CARIBOU Maine — Aroostook Mental Health Center (AMHC) has announced the addition of Krystal Griffiths, LMSW-CC, and Andrea Chasse, LMSW-CC, to its central Aroostook service area. “AMHC is so pleased to have Krystal and Andrea joining our growing team of professionals,” said Lorraine Chamberlain, director of integration and behavioral health in ... Read More ›

Please go to The Maine Beacon to read the full article.  By: Dan Neumann ~~Excerpt The number of people who have enrolled in the state’s Medicaid system, MaineCare, which Mainers voted to expand in 2017, reached 40,770 this month. Within that group, according to the latest tally released by Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, are 5,752 individuals who are now receiving treatment for substance use disorder who were not prior to Medicaid expansion. “Expansion is working ... Read More ›

Please go to Pine Tree Watch to read the full article.  Maine will need an estimated $2 billion by 2030 to treat and care for opioid-affected children By: Barbara Walsh ~~Excerpt Babies withdrawing from opiates. Children watching their parents shoot up heroin. Orphans growing up in foster care. They are the opioid epidemic’s youngest victims. Nationally, an estimated 2.2 million children and adolescents were in crisis as of 2017 — 28 out of every 1,000. According to The Ripple ... Read More ›