Local leaders in the legislature, law enforcement and medical communities are implementing solutions to tackle an epidemic that Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills has called “the greatest challenge of our time.”
At the state level, State Rep. Patricia Hymanson, D-York, House chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, is introducing a bill this session to create a new position in the governor’s office that would lead the charge in combating the addiction crisis statewide. In York, a police detective who will concentrate fully on drug-related matters is proposed within the town’s budget, and a recovery program at York Hospital has been expanded to support the growing need.
We are proud and thankful to see community and state leaders carrying the reins to continue and expand the fight, in a state where an average of more than one person a day is overdosing on illegal and pharmaceutical-grade opioids. Overdose deaths claimed 185 lives in Maine in the first six months of 2017.
“The opioid epidemic continues to devastate our communities, both rural and urban, all across Maine,” Mills said. “As public officials, first responders, and community leaders we must direct resources to real solutions. We must continue to work together to attack this problem, particularly with treatment, prevention and education.”
Hymanson’s bill, LD 105, would create a state drug czar, one high-level post to spearhead efforts already underway in many state agencies, including the departments of corrections, education, Center for Disease Control, substance abuse and mental health services, and health and human services. Maine would join 12 other states, including New Hampshire, that have had or do have similar positions. A similar recommendation for a drug czar was made in 2016 by the Maine Opiate Collaborative, which consisted of three groups, the Prevention and Harm Reduction Task Force, the Treatment Task Force and the Law Enforcement Task Force.
One of two new positions proposed within the town of York’s Fiscal Year 2019 municipal budget is for a police detective who will work not only on criminal investigations but will be the face of the department in drug-related matters, representing police at treatment and education program meetings, maintaining a police presence at addiction and recovery meetings, and more.
“This person will have a dual role,” Bracy said. “He’s not going to be doing drug investigations all the time. To get ahead of this, we have to have as many resources as we can. The detective needs to be doing as much community work as criminal work.”
On the recovery front, the Cottage Program which has long served the community for alcohol addiction will become the York Hospital Recovery Center. The center will offer a medicated-assisted therapy program with eight local providers who will be trained in prescribing buprenorphine, which stops withdrawal and drastically reduces preoccupation and craving. The center will keep the cottage program’s already effective outpatient approach, which offers professional support for the first six months of the recovery process.
“At this point, we have many needs to make this shift a success, but the biggest need with addiction services generically is willingness. The need to willingly say that this is an issue in our communities and without judgment we will try to do whatever is necessary to help people who are suffering from this addiction problem,” said York Hospital President & CEO Jud Knox.
Community members can learn more about the center, community resources, and hear from experts and those in recovery during The Choose To Be Healthy Coalition’s “Becoming a Recovery Ready Community” forum. The event, which is open to professionals and the general public, will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at the First Parish Meeting House in York.