Learn how to better respect and respond to your client's unique needs in this online training of Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals, being offered at no cost by the Office of Minority Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Cultural and linguistic competency is recognized as an important strategy for improving the quality of care provided to clients from diverse backgrounds. The goal of this e-learning program is to help behavioral health professionals ... Read More ›

The Developers Collaborative is partnering with the nonprofit Amistad on a supportive housing project for homeless women with substance use disorder. By: Randy Billings, Staff Writer A Portland developer is proposing converting the building at 66 State St., right, into a rooming house for women and adding affordable housing units in a new building next door. This artist's rendering shows the view from Danforth Street. Rendering courtesy of Archetype Architects A Portland ... Read More ›

2nd District congressman wants inpatient beds in Maine for vets facing a crisis. By: Steve Collins, Sun Journal Hoping some of the money might find its way to Maine, 2nd District U.S. Rep. Jared Golden recently persuaded colleagues to back $5 million in additional funding for long-term mental care for veterans. Ensuring mental health care for veterans is personal for Golden, a first-term Democrat from Lewiston who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in combat ... Read More ›

Medication-assisted treatment in jails and prisons makes good sense, and it's being backed by the courts. By: The Editorial Board Sheriffs of New England, you’ve got mail. The American Civil Liberties Union chapters of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire last week sent a letter to every sheriff’s office or jail asking them to offer medication-assisted treatment to incarcerated people with opioid use disorder. The law enforcement officials should listen – and they have two very good ... Read More ›

The state has seen a 41.5 percent drop in opioid prescribing since 2013, seventh-highest in the nation, as physicians work to limit the risks of dependency. By: Joe Lawlor, Staff Writier Drew Floyd used to be on high doses of opioid painkillers for chronic back pain but has now been weaned off them. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer Opioid prescribing in Maine has plummeted over the past five years, including a 14.1 percent decline in 2018, a positive sign as ... Read More ›

When enrollment finally ramps up, will there be enough providers available for addiction treatment? BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD One of the selling points for expanding Maine’s Medicaid program was its potential for getting more people who are caught up in the opioid epidemic the help they need. About six months in, it’s clear some additional steps are necessary. The expansion of eligibility for Medicaid, or MaineCare as it is known here, was approved at referendum in November ... Read More ›

Some 70,000 Maine residents were expected to qualify under the new standards, but only about 26,000 have done so. By Marina Villeneuve, Associated Press AUGUSTA — Thousands fewer Mainers than expected have signed up for Medicaid in the first six months of a statewide expansion of the program. New enrollment projections had ranged from 50,000 by mid-2019 to 70,000. But so far, just over 26,000 Mainers are currently enrolled under the expansion, according to Department of Health and Human ... Read More ›

Governor Mills' response to the opioid epidemic, the 2019 Opioid Summit, will be held July 15th, 2019 at the Augusta Civic Center. The conference theme, "Turning the Tide: Maine's Path Forward in Addressing the Opioid Crisis" will bring people together to discuss the many challenges those with substance use disorder and in recovery face alongside the opportunities that exist moving forward. Keynoting the Summit will be Sam Quinones journalist and author of the landmark book, Dreamland, and ... Read More ›

Funding for mental health services runs out at end of June Mary Cat Mannion, WMTW Reporter AUGUSTA, Maine — There is a push for more mental health service funding for children in Maine as the money for certain services runs out at the end of the month. Advocates are seeking more than $400,000 that would go towards services for mental health providers. Supporters of the bill said the funding is meant to keep children out of the criminal justice system and provide services for ... Read More ›

Screening provided by the Disability Rights Maine and Maine Center for Juvenile Policy & Law A Documentary Film From Lives In The Balance, In Association With Lone Wolf Media The Kids We Lose is a 90-minute documentary film about the human side of being and having a child or student with behavioral challenges, and the struggles faced by parents, educators, staff in facilities, mental health clinicians, and law enforcement professionals in trying to ensure that these kids receive the help ... Read More ›