Maine

Aroostook Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (ACORP) aims to reduce the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in the region’s high risk rural communities. Lead applicant Aroostook Mental Health Services, Inc. (AMHC) and its consortium members will conduct planning efforts that will result in a comprehensive set of initiatives to improve the capacity and infrastructure for prevention, treatment and recovery services in the three districts (northern, central and southern) of Aroostook County.

MaineHealth dba as Pen Bay Medical Center, as part of a collaboration with the community organizations that make up the Knox County Recovery Collaborative (KCRC) will implement the Knox County Opioid Response Project in order to reduce opioid use disorder (OUD) and related mortalities in every community across Knox County, Maine. The primary target population are residents of Knox County, Maine who could potentially be at risk of, or are diagnosed as having, OUD. We are also targeting the population of families, friends and communities impacted by OUD within the project service area.

Addressing the treatment and recovery needs in our communities, Wabanaki Public Health is developing the Center for Wabanaki Healing and Recovery , a facility to support tribal members on their recovery journey. The Center for Wabanaki Healing and Recovery will put culture, ceremony, language, and traditions at the heart of the recovery journey to support tribal members achieving optimal wellness.

The Consortium identified three primary populations of focus for whom services are lacking. 1. Individuals that are currently using substances and want to be in recovery, including those who are in the carceral system; 2. Individuals with a SUD or an OUD diagnosis who are currently using substances and do not yet seek recovery; 3. Family members of individuals with SUD and OUD. Somerset County does not yet have a coordinated system of services to manage the SUD and OUD crisis. The RCORP Planning process has helped start a more streamlined and successful network of services and providers.

RACE to Recovery is a community based effort to provide increased awareness of OUD, address stigma and other barriers that prevent individuals from seeking treatment; expand access to MAT and Recovery services with Peer Recovery Coaches and develop an incarceration diversion program.

The overall goals of this proposed project are to create a supportive community in the Sebasticook Valley region of Maine for preventing, treating and recovering from SUD/OUD, ensure that all residents in the target service area who are at risk for or in treatment and recovery for SUD/OUD are engaged with a cohesive system among relevant providers and organizations, and that this project will significantly reduce the burden and impact of SUD/OUD on families and the community.

Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC) has been battling the opioid crisis for years. Our Belfast practice, Seaport Community Health Center (Seaport), was the first family practice in Maine to offer medication-assisted treatment, and is, by far, the largest and most innovative program in the region today. Seaport has provided OUD treatment and recovery services for many years, is a leader in this field, and wishes to expand their treatment expertise to a greater audience – particularly the local jails and re-entry center.

To achieve the objectives of the proposed Pine Tree Opioid Project (P-TOP), the rural York County Consortium will, during the upcoming three-year implementation phase, build on the work achieved under the RCORP Planning grant, including leveraging the strengths and current initiatives of clinical care, community, and behavioral health Consortium members.

The Substance Use Prevention and Expanded Recovery (SUPER) project seeks to strengthen and expand substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services through the Central Public Health District.