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Healthy Communities A Team Effort

Issue 17

Wellspring helps people start their journey

Jess (not her real name) is one young woman who has found hope, support and recovery at Infinity House, one of the programs in a continuum of services offered by Wellspring in Bangor. In her early 30s, Jess was a graduate of another of Wellspring’s programs, the women’s residential program. But then she relapsed, and became pregnant.

“Federal dollars mandate that a person has to wait a full year before they can be in residential treatment again but because she was pregnant, I petitioned the state to make an exception, and they granted it,” says Lisa Rogers, Director of Residential Programs. “This young lady was pregnant and looking to have a safe place to maintain her recovery and give birth. She was one of those girls who still had a whole bunch of hope.

“She wanted to change her life. She wanted the best for her baby. It was so important for her, when she found out she was pregnant, to do things differently, in order for her to really show up as the kind of mom she wanted to be.”

Recently, Rogers ran into Jess with her baby at a 12-step meeting. “I saw her with the little one, who’s now walking and smiling, and she’s doing great,” she says. “She’s maintained her sobriety since she left us. It was great to watch her. You could really see what a great mom she is.”

“It’s no small thing to do rehab,” adds Rogers. “I have the utmost respect for all the clients we have the opportunity to serve. Their behaviors and lifestyle hijack who they authentically are. We help them become the best people they can be. To take their life back from the disease of addiction.”

Wellspring’s newest program, New Horizons, offers short-term support (3-7 days) to adults detoxing from opiates and/or alcohol. Until the opening of this facility, there was only one public detox program in the state of Maine, in Portland, and “People were traveling from Washington County and Aroostook County for hours and hours to get to a detox program,” according to Suzanne Farley, Executive Director at Wellspring.

“People dying from overdose deaths only continues to rise here in Maine,” she says. “It’s a tragedy. We’ve got to stand together as a community and say ‘enough is enough.’ It takes all of us.” Clients are encouraged to become involved with organizations such as the Bangor Area Recovery Network (BARN), which hosts dinners, barbecues and dances—“great opportunities to socialize in a sober environment, which is key to long-term recovery…getting out of the isolation that addiction brings about,” Farley says.

On the future of Wellspring, Farley has this to say: “Our vision is for healthy communities where people are doing well, and not in so much pain that they’re reaching out for substances to help alleviate that pain.

“We really want people to thrive. Good treatment opportunities combined with strong recovery support is what helps everyone thrive—individuals, families, and communities.”

 

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Kim Wilson
Kim Wilson
Kim Wilson is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Bath. She enjoys volunteering, renovating her World War I-era home and exploring the Midcoast.

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