Gov. Janet Mills has introduced $1.9 million in new funding to develop substance use disorder treatment in rural Maine whereas the state fights an “unrelenting” drug epidemic.
“In York County, many individuals wrestle to seek out treatment choices and procure entry to lifesaving harm-reduction methods,” mentioned Cheri Sullivan, director of Coastal Wholesome Communities Coalition, a Saco-based nonprofit centered on native well being points, together with substance abuse. “These newly designated funds will assist present versatile choices and one-on-one assist in communities the place providers are sometimes scarce, and transportation could be a barrier to getting assist.”
In keeping with annual reviews from the Margaret Chase Smith Coverage Middle on the College of Maine, opioids are blamed for greater than 80% of drug-induced deaths within the county from 2016-2020. York County, in response to the middle, went from simply six drug-induced deaths in 1997 to 74 in 2020. The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention knowledge for 2020 exhibits 496 overdose deaths in Maine, and solely 393 deaths in neighboring New Hampshire. Nationwide, the CDC reported simply over 96,000 overdose-related deaths in 2020 alone.
The new funding, in response to an announcement from Mills issued this week, might be distributed by the Maine Division of Well being and Human Companies’ Workplace of Behavioral Well being within the type of substance use disorder grants. The funding comes on the heels of comparable state-funded grants issued by Mills in July.
“Maine is inside the crushing grip of an unrelenting epidemic, worsened by the results of the pandemic and the elevated presence of extremely deadly fentanyl. It’s killing a file variety of Maine individuals – people who find themselves our household, associates, and neighbors,” Mills mentioned. “We’re placing these funds to work to develop the provision of substance use disorder treatment in rural Maine in order that we will save lives, put extra individuals on the highway to restoration, and, in time, flip the tide on this lethal epidemic.”
The discharge didn’t outline “rural” communities, and a spokesperson for Mills’ workplace didn’t reply to a request for clarification.
Sullivan mentioned she appears to be like ahead to seeing the funds assist ongoing efforts in York County.
“Our coalition has seen firsthand the influence that entry to assets can have on lowering the speed of overdoses. Funding like this is a crucial step in offering all Mainers with the extent of care they deserve,” she mentioned.