The funding, a combination of state and federal dollars, will go primarily to methadone clinics that also offer behavioral health counseling. By Eric Russell Portland Press Herald Staff Writer AUGUSTA — The state’s Department of Health and Human Services will direct $2.4 million in existing funds to support the expansion of medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction – an apparent policy shift for an administration that has been slow to embrace that option. The creation of 359 new ... Read More ›
News
PPH – Our View: Maine’s opioid crisis too big for small programs to handle alone
The Scarborough Police Department can't fill a leadership role better suited to the state. It was one of the rare good news stories of the opiate overdose crisis: Members of one police department decided to do something to stop the spread of what looked to be more of a sickness than a crime. Scarborough cops offered addicts a deal. If you want to get clean, come into the station and we won’t arrest you. Instead, the local PD would do what it could to find you a bed in a residential treatment ... Read More ›
KJ – Shuttered Hallowell addiction treatment agency under investigation for fraud allegations
The agency reportedly owes more than $300,000 to MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program. From the Kennebec Journal- A Hallowell mental health and addiction treatment agency that closed suddenly in September — leaving a few hundred clients without services — was under investigation for fraud and owed more than $300,000 to the state, according to emails exchanged among state health officials, agency staff members and others in the weeks that followed. The privately owned agency, Protea ... Read More ›
Doctors fear opioid crisis will get worse in 2017
BRIDGTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — There is more troubling news about the ongoing opioid crisis. According to the CDC, more people nationwide died from heroin-related causes than from gun homicides last year. Here in Maine in 2015, drug overdose deaths from heroin, fentanyl and other opioids surpassed the number of fatalities from car accidents for the very first time. Two-hundred and eighty-six people have died from drug overdoses in Maine this year. Just five years ago, motor vehicle ... Read More ›
Maine experts hail U.S. surgeon general’s report on addiction crisis
Public health officials and treatment specialists say "Facing Addiction in America" could change the public's perception that drug abuse is a moral failing rather than a disease. Excerpts ~~~ Malory Shaughnessy, executive director of the Maine Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, said the surgeon general's report is a good step, but she doesn’t know what the Trump administration will do with it. “For all this talk about building a wall and keeping the heroin out, the problem ... Read More ›
Opioid Overdose Toolkit released by SAMHS
SAMHSA has released a revised version of the Opioid Overdose Toolkit. This toolkit is designed to educate first responders, physicians, patients, family members, and community members on ways to prevent opioid overdose. Opioid use disorder has become a major health problem that accounts for a growing number of overdoses each year. In 2014, opioid overdose deaths reached alarming levels: More than 28,000 people in the United States died from opioid overdose, mainly opioid pain relievers and ... Read More ›
People can and do recover
Darren Ripley, Coordinator, The Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery Maine has a serious problem with substance abuse and addiction. The headlines are an almost daily reminder of the deadly toll that drugs and/or alcohol have on individuals and families from all walks of life. But despite the grim statistics and tragedies, there is hope. Treatment works and people can get better. Recovery is possible. As the 25th anniversary of National Recovery Month comes to a close, it’s important not ... Read More ›
The Maine Recovering Women’s Leadership Facilitators’ Training Coming to Portland in September 2014
Attention all recovering women, allies, leaders and collaborating agencies...announcing: The Maine Recovering Women’s Leadership Facilitators’ Training Coming to Portland in September 2014 Would you like to be part of a: The Maine Recovering Women’s Leadership Training (RWLT) is an empowerment workshop for recovering women. Learn to facilitate the training workshops in your community! Women recovering from any or all of the following are welcome: alcohol, drug or other substance problems, women ... Read More ›