Police in Bath and Brunswick, Maine Work with PARRI for One2One Addiction Recovery

Police in Bath and Brunswick, Maine Work with PARRI for One2One Addiction Recovery

Two Maine police departments, Bath and Brunswick, have been selected to participate in the One2One: Engagement to Recovery program of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI), which will benefit 19 other law enforcement agencies throughout Maine and Massachusetts.

The One2One: Engagement to a Recovery program, which will be piloted in the spring and summer of 2020, will empower police officers and community partners to distribute fentanyl test strip (FTS) kits to those in need, as well as provide referrals to treatment and information about other resources available to those who use drugs and their loved ones.

One2One is a pilot-tested, evidence-based, police-led intervention project that is being implemented across Massachusetts and Maine to increase engagement in substance use-related services and supports among people who are using stimulants and opioids and are at risk of overdosing. The project is funded by the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

A referral to treatment or other services resulted from every fentanyl test strip kit that was delivered as part of the pilot program, which was financed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

In a formal announcement on March 10, the Bath and Brunswick Police Departments announced their participation in the initiative.

Both departments received training on Monday, March 29 in preparation for implementing the program in their respective departments on Thursday, April 1 this year.

According to Chief Stewart, “Addiction is a dreadful disease that impacts not only individuals and their families, but entire communities as well.”

“We are committed to addressing this issue and are grateful to PAARI for providing us with the resources we need to do so.”

“Through this agreement, those suffering from addiction will be able to access the assistance they require to progress toward recovery.”

If you want to know more about recovery resources in Bath, Maine, read here.

Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, totaled more than 36,000 in the United States in 2019.

Overdose deaths using illicitly made fentanyl account for about half of all drug overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl is now used alone and can be found in heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit opioid tablets.

Illicit fentanyl, which is extremely strong and thus prone to causing unintentional overdoses, has had a particularly devastating impact on New England.

According to research, FTS is a feasible and helpful method that is associated with greater self-efficacy as well as significant changes in safety and drug use behavior.

Using the One2One program, PAARI will provide up to 300 kits to each participating police department, as well as training and technical assistance for officers and community partners on how to distribute the FTS kits and use the kits to build rapport with the public and refer them to appropriate services.

Maine OPTIONS (Overdose Prevention Through Intensive Outreach, Naloxone, and Safety) is an initiative in which both of Chief Field’s departments are now involved, according to Chief Field.

“This new tool will aid us in our efforts to combat the opiate crisis and assist people who are in desperate need.”

If we can avoid one overdose fatality, then this effort will have been well worth it.

We are grateful for the direction, information, and resources that PAARI is linking us to as a result of this endeavor.”

In Bath, Maine, Vanderburgh House was formed to create recovery-focused communities that are dedicated to the success of each member. Our homes provide a structured and recovery-focused sober living environment, headed by caring House Managers who are committed to assisting our clients in rebuilding their lives free of drugs and alcohol.

As a member of our collaborative of sober living Operators, Vanderburgh Communities provides Charters to Operators who want to manage their own sober living homes in conjunction with us. If you have a dream of opening your own sober house, now is the time to pursue it! We urge you to join us for a meeting to learn more about this exciting chance to help your community.

We are honored to be one of the original members of the national Sober House Directory, a resource for finding the right match and locating sober living homes near you. If a Vanderburgh House home is not the appropriate fit for you, we invite you to look into this great resource for finding the proper sober living home.

More: The Urge: Our History of Addiction | Research by Carl Fisher