Please go to the Lewiston Sun Journal to read the full article. 2nd District congressman wants inpatient beds in Maine for vets facing a crisis. By: Steve Collins, Sun Journal ~~Excerpt 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 ... Read More ›
News
Our View: Two good reasons for treatment behind bars
Please go to Central Maine Online to read the full editorial. Medication-assisted treatment in jails and prisons makes good sense, and it's being backed by the courts. By: The Editorial Board ~~Excerpt 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 ... Read More ›
Maine doctors writing fewer opioid prescriptions
Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article. 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 ~~Excerpt Maine’s five-year drop was the seventh-highest in the country, and its year-over-year decline was the 12th highest among the states and District of Columbia. Opioid prescribing nationwide declined on average ... Read More ›
Our View: More steps needed to get most out of MaineCare expansion
Please go to Central Maine Online to read the full editorial. When enrollment finally ramps up, will there be enough providers available for addiction treatment? By: The Editorial Board ~~Excerpt The expansion of eligibility for Medicaid, or MaineCare as it is known here, was approved at referendum in November 2017 and finally implemented early this year in one of the first acts by Gov. Janet Mills. It was expected to grant health coverage to as many as 70,000 ... Read More ›
Medicaid enrollment lower than expected since expansion
Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article. 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 ~~Excerpt 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 ... Read More ›
Registration Now Open for the 2019 Maine Opioid Summit: Turning the Tide: Maine’s Path Forward in Addressing the Opioid Crisis
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 ›
Bill seeks mental health services funding for children in Maine
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 and Panel Discussion of the film The Kids We Lose
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 ›
Expanded Medicaid Has Increased Access To Opioid Treatment, But Waitlists Have Ballooned
Please go to Maine Public to read the full article. Malory Shaughnessy, executive director of the Maine Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, says waitlists with other providers underscore the need for more capacity. And to increase capacity, she says, Maine needs to increase its Medicaid reimbursement rates to providers. “In recent years, some of our capacity has been eroded because rates have not maintained a level that can support the service,” she says. When Janet ... Read More ›
Registration for HOPE Conference Now Open
HOPE | Stronger Together: Embracing Relationships, Well-being, & Community May 29, 2019, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm Augusta Civic CenterSAMHS, CCSM, MAPSRC Scroll down to register ABOUT THE KEYNOTES Seth Blais Seth Blais is living in recovery from substance use disorder. After a decade of struggling with heroin and cocaine addiction, he dedicates most of his time reaching out to peers who share his experience. Through his work with several recovery-focused organizations, he advocates for ... Read More ›