Local communities are on frontlines of opioid crisis fight

Maine is one of the states hardest hit by the nation's ongoing opioid crisis, but people across the state are working on the frontlines of this epidemic, raising awareness and developing new solutions. This was dramatically and movingly brought to life on November 13 at the University of Maine at Machias (UMM), where Oscar‑nominated director Elaine McMillion Sheldon's film Recovery Boys was shown, followed by 90 minutes of community conversation involving the large audience in attendance and six panelists. The film also was screened at Washington County Community College on November 14.
Recovery Boys is a documentary about four young men in Morgantown, W. Va., attempting to reinvent their lives and mend broken relationships after years of drug abuse. It portrays the strength, brotherhood and courage that it takes to overcome addiction. It is available as a Netflix Original, as is Sheldon's earlier award‑winning documentary Heroin(e), which also will be shown in Calais on Tuesday, December 3, at 5:30 p.m. at the Downeast Recovery Support Center, and which profiles three courageous women: a fire chief, a family court judge and a minister working in Huntington, W. Va., to save lives.
The six panelists at the UMM event were Ann O'Brien, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Eastport Health Care whose work includes treating opioid use disorder with Suboxone and naltrexone/Vivitrol; Paul Trovarello, president of Arise Addiction Recovery, a Christ-centered recovery group; Terri Woodruff, co‑director for the Maine Alliance for Recovery Coaching program; Gordon Smith, Maine's first director of opioid response; Marshall Mercer, who coordinates volunteers and is a recovery coach at the Downeast Recovery Support Center in Machias; and Washington County Sheriff Barry Curtis.
Many key issues were addressed by the panel and the audience, which included UMM students enrolled in an ethics in criminal justice course taught by Wayde Carter, Arise members and Rep. Will Tuell. But perhaps the most important issue was voiced initially by Mercer, who said, "It takes a community to help. I've seen love from a lot of people coming together in Machias -- very different from the community where I grew up." And the theme of "community" was echoed by Smith, saying, "Let's not forget that addiction is a disease of isolation. People going through recovery need new communities to help them stay in recovery." Toward the end of the evening O'Brien spoke to this theme as well, stressing the importance of galvanizing communities to respond when she said, "A rising tide lifts all boats."
Another important theme that surfaced during the conversation was understanding substance disorder as a chronic disease not a criminal activity. Smith underscored this point in saying, "Law enforcement and corrections in Maine have moved away from stigmatizing substance abusers even more than the healthcare professions have." And both O'Brien and Woodruff spoke to this theme from a different direction by underscoring the importance of medication together with counseling and therapy as the best way forward. "More supplies of the effective medications are now in more hospitals and medical centers around the state, as well as in jails," said Smith, who added, "A lot more people have continued in successful recovery because of these medications." However, he added, "But more detox centers are needed closer to where people live in Washington County, more transportation to get people to these centers more quickly and more recovery-friendly jobs available to people going through recovery programs.
Providing more attention and resources devoted to prevention, beyond the saving of life, was also a theme addressed in different ways. Trovarello mentioned Arise had been contacted by eight schools in the Machias community asking him to speak to students. "We've had two very successful visits so far and look forward to more in the near future, spreading the word." Smith spoke of the "absolute need" to get youth into healthy activities and to "get them outdoors, away from video games." He also knows from the statewide data that a great many addicts "began using and abusing at a very young age." He stated, "Many more organizations need to be involved, at all age levels, with the children in our communities."