OPERATION OUTREACH Offers Veterans Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services

OPERATION OUTREACH is a new healthcare services program developed collaboratively by AMHC and the VA Maine Health Care System (VA Maine HCS) for Veterans in Aroostook and Washington Counties.  The first of its kind in Maine, or anywhere in the United States, OPERATION OUTREACH substance abuse services are now available with mental health treatment services available in June 2011.  OPERATION OUTREACH offers Veterans access to substance abuse and mental health treatment closer to home, without having to first go to the VA clinic or to the medical center at Togus.  Under OPERATION OUTREACH, AMHC offers: 1) substance abuse treatment to any Veteran eligible for VA Maine health care services; and 2) peer support, mental health, and readjustment counseling services to Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Veterans.

The VA Office of Rural Health and VA Maine HCS provided funding for OPERATION OUTREACH services because it recognizes the need for community-based substance abuse and mental health treatment for Veterans. For the past several years, the Honorable Mike Michaud, in his role as the ranking member of the House’s Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, has advocated for increased VA funding to improve Veterans’ substance abuse and mental health treatment options and increase the number of service sites, especially for Veterans living in rural Maine.  He and his staff worked successfully with the VA Office of Rural Health in Washington, DC and at VA Maine HCS in support of Congressional funding allocations for OPERATION OUTREACH services.  Also providing advocacy and support for OPERATION OUTREACH funding are U.S. Senators Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe.

OPERATION OUTREACH increases the number of locations where substance abuse and mental health treatment are available to Veterans from the 2 VA clinics in Caribou and Calais to AMHC’s 11 sites across Aroostook and Washington Counties.  Readjustment counseling services for OEF/OIF Veterans will now be available in Calais and Machias—which is much more convenient than driving to the Bangor Vet Center. Treatment will be delivered by Maine licensed and certified providers who are specially trained in how to work with Veterans and care will be coordinated with their VA medical providers.  Any Veteran enrolled in VA healthcare services can contact AMHC to see if they meet the VA’s eligibility requirements to receive OPERATION OUTREACH services.  Veterans receiving VA authorized OPERATION OUTREACH services will pay nothing out of pocket. 

AMHC services in Washington and Aroostook County encompass outpatient mental health, readjustment and substance abuse counseling, peer support, crisis evaluation, crisis stabilization, ambulatory alcohol and drug detoxification, 28 day residential treatment, Suboxone opiate replacement therapy, case management, support groups, and twelve step programs.  There are multiple options for care available at AMHC’s sites, where trained clinicians rely on best practice models of service delivery.

Through OPERATION OUTREACH, Veterans and others wanting information about service in general and appointment availability should call AMHC’s 24/7 Access Center toll-free line.  If a Veteran is in crisis, services will be available immediately by calling AMHC’s toll-free HELPLine. To ensure eligibility for services, AMHC will confirm a Veteran’s eligibility for services with the VA Maine HCS before any routine treatment services are provided.

A unique feature of OPERATION OUTREACH is that AMHC offers a dedicated VA liaison, Joseph Owens, a retired US Navy combat Veteran whose sole function is to ensure that Veterans, family members, significant others, and referral sources are aware of OPERATION OUTREACH services and how to access them when help is needed.  The VA liaison also serves as the direct administrative contact between AMHC and the VA Maine HCS Mental Health Department staff at Togus to ensure that services for Veterans are running smoothly. 

For more information about OPERATION OUTREACH, please contact Joseph L. Owens, AMHC’s VA Liaison at 207-493-3361 or 768-1501 or Kristy Rowe, VA Maine HCS, Mental Health Services Health Systems Specialist at 207-623-8411, extension 4935