Month: <span>December 2021</span>

Aroostook Mental Health Services, Inc. (AMHC) is pleased to partner with the New England Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative, in collaboration with the Washington County District and Superior Courts, to offer a pilot program known as Recovery Support Navigation in Washington County. It is a free, confidential, and voluntary service for court-involved individuals impacted by substance use and mental health challenges. Funding for this program comes from the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

“Our county has the highest rates of overdose deaths in New England,” explained Judge David Mitchell, Washington County District Court. “It is critical that we combat substance use disorder from many different angles and this program has proved successful in other parts of the country. ”

Services are provided by Maryanne Young, AMHC Recovery Support Navigator, who assists individuals and their loved ones with understanding prevention, treatment, and recovery resources available in the community; accessing substance use treatment services including Medication Assisted Treatment for addiction or psychiatric medications; developing personal goals and objectives related to addressing substance use disorder; MaineCare enrollment; and connections to care coordination services including housing, transportation, and employment.

Navigation services are eligible to court users or family members involved with any court department and do not need to have a current open case or be on probation to receive services. Referrals may come from the defense counsel, district attorney’s office, probation department, healthcare providers, law enforcement, and family members. Self-referrals are also welcome.

For more information, please reach out to Maryanne Young, Recovery Support Navigator by phone at 207-496-9733 or by email at myoung@amhc.org.

About Bureau of Justice

Recovery Support Navigation in Washington County Maine is supported in part by Grant No. 2017-PM-BX-K037 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). BJA is a component of the Department of Justices’ Office of Justice Programs. The Recovery Support Navigation program is also supported by the New England Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative and AMHC.

Aroostook Mental Health Services, Inc. (AMHC) is asking community members to participate in a survey that will help the agency and its consortium update the 2020 Community Health Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis, which is focused on substance use in Aroostook County. The survey gauges public opinion on stigma, access to services, and gaps in service.

“Overdose deaths continue to increase and we are working to reverse that trend,” said Erik Lamoreau, AMHC’s Project Coordinator. “Updating our community survey is an important part of the process – we help ensure that our work aligns with evidence-based practices and community priorities.”  The community survey is available on AMHC’s Facebook page, on its website and will be widely distributed through community partners. The electronic version is mobile-friendly and hard copies will be provided to individuals or organizations upon request.

This effort is part of AMHC’s Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Community Opioid Response Planning (RCORP) grant, which aims to reduce the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD) in Aroostook County.  “In 2021, AMHC also received a HRSA RCORP Implementation grant, a three-year, $1 million award to assist in adopting critical initiatives identified in the needs assessment,” explained Lamoreau. “That work has already begun and supported by our consortium members.” Representatives from AMHC, Northern Maine Medical Center, Cary Medical Center, Northern Light A.R. Gould Hospital, Houlton Regional Hospital, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, MicMac Behavioral Health Department, and a person in recovery are part of the consortium.

This 10-minute survey will conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 7, 2021. All individuals who include their name and a contact number will be entered into a drawing for one of five $100 Amazon gift cards. Winners will be contacted on Monday, January 10. Please note: Gift cards will only be awarded to individuals living in Aroostook County.  For more information or to request a copy of the survey, please reach out to Lamoreau at elamoreau@amhc.org.

About HRSA

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $200,000 with 100% percent funded by HRSA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.