County pilot project addressing opiate crisis to be launched

Legislation to establish a pilot project to support people with substance use disorders in Washington County was finally signed into law on June 27 by Governor Janet Mills. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Anne Perry of Calais, was approved as an emergency bill by the legislature on June 18.
"It's been a long time coming," says Rep. Perry, noting that the legislation was first introduced three years ago. That bill, introduced by then Senator Joyce Maker of Calais, was carried over to the following session so that a plan could be further developed. While it was approved by the legislature, the bill was vetoed by Governor Paul LePage. Because the opiate addition program is so important an issue, Perry says she and other legislators continued working with Healthy Acadia, the Aroostook Mental Health Center (AMHC), law enforcement and substance use treatment agencies to develop the plan, and she introduced the bill that was enacted during this past legislative session.
"The opioid abuse problem in rural counties like Washington County is just devastating, and we need to take action," says Perry. "We need to get people suffering from this terrible addiction into the treatment they need, and this project will help those with opioid issues and their families get their lives back together."
"I've been working with the substance abuse problem since 2000," Perry notes. "To do better economically, we need to help our addicts. They are our next generation."
Perry observes that the hub-and-spoke model for addressing substance abuse that was adopted by the state last year does not work in rural areas, since there is no hub. "If this works, it can become a template for other rural counties," Perry says of the Washington County model that the legislation will help implement.
The legislative resolve directs the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to work with Healthy Acadia to seek federal funding for the project, which requires the establishment of a central coordinating telephone system to assist people with accessing services related to substance use disorder treatment and recovery.
Perry says the phone system will be operating 24/7 and that anyone can call -- those working in an emergency room, the police or an addict. A trained counselor who can conduct an assessment with the addicted person will answer the phone and can either get them in touch with a recovery coach or work to get them into a clinic. "If you get them when they're ready, you're more likely to have success," notes Perry.
AMHC already operates a crisis hotline system, so Perry is hoping that the licensed social workers who man that hotline can become trained in opiate addiction counseling so that a new phone system will not need to be set up.
She notes that Healthy Acadia already has obtained funding for recovery coaches, who are now being trained. Also, clinics using Suboxone, methadone and other treatments are available from Harrington to Danforth, she adds. Noting that the variety and geographic range of treatment options, she comments, "We need to get the person to the place that suits them best."
Also established will be a coordinating council made up or representatives of organizations in the area involved with the health and welfare of county residents. The council will be responsible for providing a coordinated system of services for substance abuse disorder prevention, treatment and recovery and for implementing a recovery resource fund to provide additional services as part of a continuum of support and services.
DHHS will report to the legislature on the pilot project by November 30, 2020.