Offering Non-Judgmental Support
Tom MacElhaney, an employee with Sweetser, began serving as Cumberland County’s OPTIONS Liaison just as the global pandemic had us housebound and isolated alone or in our pod.
He believes the timing was serendipitous because it was such a difficult period for people...
A few years ago, our coalition was doing outreach and educating folks to keep their prescription medications up and away to reduce the risk of medications, particularly opioids, from being diverted into the community. However, nowadays, raising awareness to prevent opioid misuse has shifted....
Kenneth Charles, chief of the Farmington Police Department, avoided getting into the family business for as long as he could but eventually joined his father and two brothers in becoming a police officer.
“I thought I certainly must have a different path,” he said. “I...
Though often thought to be a big city problem, substance use disorder can’t read a map. It can be especially hard to combat in rural communities because of limited resources for prevention, treatment and recovery.
This is the case in Washington County, with two notable...
An Unintentional Director of Opioid Response
Gordon Smith, J.D., who became the state’s Director of Opioid Response when Gov. Janet Mills took office in 2019, knows he has a somewhat unusual background for the position.
“I am not in recovery, not in clinical work, and don’t...
What Statewide Data is Telling Us About Youth
When we start a new year, we often take “inventory” – look to make improvements like changing our habits, improving our health, bettering our mindset, etc. One thing we should ALL do is focus on improving our...
