Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article. ~~Excerpt Malory Shaughnessy, executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services of Maine, said Mills’ first two executive orders represent a “complete 180-degree change the state desperately needed. Many of our community-based behavioral health agencies have been creatively pulling together scarce resources and private grants to start programs such as rapid access MAT induction in emergency ... Read More ›
News
Janet Mills lays out new strategy to address Maine’s opioid crisis
Robert F. Bukaty | AP Governor Janet Mills speaks at a news conference in the State House on Wednesday in Augusta. Mills is accompanied by Department of Corrections Commissioner Randy Liberty, left, Director of Opioid Response Gordon Smith, second from right, and Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew. Mills later signed an executive order directing immediate action on the opioid epidemic. Please go to Bangor Daily News to read the full article. By Michael ... Read More ›
Committee Takes Up Bill To Write ACA Protections Into Maine Law
Please go to Maine Public to read the full article. Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services Executive Director Malory Shaughnessy reminded the committee that it was the ACA that offered the first protections for people with behavioral health illnesses. “Prior to this point, people with behavioral health illnesses could be discriminated against legally and be barred from having coverage in health plans,” she says. ~~Excerpt Committee Takes Up Bill To Write ACA Protections ... Read More ›
Gov. Mills appoints Maine’s first Director of Opioid Response
Politics Mills picks veteran medical lobbyist to lead campaign against opioid addiction Alex Acquisto | BDN Gordon Smith (left), a longtime lobbyist for the Maine Medical Association, was named the state’s director of opioid response by Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday. By Michael Shepherd, BDN Staff • January 24, 2019 11:25 am Updated: January 24, 2019 12:53 pm AUGUSTA, Maine — A longtime lobbyist for Maine doctors and public health advocate was introduced Thursday as Gov. ... Read More ›
Mills moves ahead with plans to reshape Maine’s approach to opiate addiction, tribal relations
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 ›
Some lawmakers pushing for Cabinet-level position to address opioid crisis
The Legislature will debate multiple proposals to create a specific position, and Gov. Janet Mills has said she plans to appoint an opioid czar as well. Please go to the Portland Press Herald to read the full article. BY ERIC RUSSELL - STAFF WRITER ~~Excerpt Maine lawmakers will debate at least three bills to establish Cabinet-level positions in state government to respond to the prolonged opioid crisis that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the last three years. Newly elected ... Read More ›
New Governor Janet Mills Makes Fighting Opioid Deaths A Priority In Maine — Finally
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 ›
Recovery Center a lifeline for those facing addiction
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 ›
Trump administration funding formula causes Maine to lose out on millions in federal opioid money
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 ›
Maine increases payments to providers treating opioid use disorder
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 ›