Somerset County New Options Liaison Spotlight
Keith Bellefleur arrived at a call that started as a mental health crisis and turned into an overdose response. The officer revived the person, and Keith connected him to treatment that same day. Now…
Topic
First Responders
EMTs, police, and Maine's OPTIONS liaisons on the ground — how first responders are connecting people to recovery in the moment, not just after.
7 stories
OPTIONS Liaison Spotlight: Dave Bilodeau
Dave Bilodeau met a man who hadn't seen his grandchildren in five years. After helping him into recovery for one month, they reunited at Christmas. Two years later, the man passed, but his family stil…
OPTIONS Liaison Spotlight: Lacey Bailey
Lacey Bailey sits at the Sanford Police Department, radio in hand, waiting for the next call. As an OPTIONS Liaison in long-term recovery herself, she answers when people most need someone who underst…
OPTIONS Liaison Spotlight: Dawn Kearns
Dawn Kearns starts her day at 7 am checking overnight reports with Augusta police, then moves through libraries, shelters, and soup kitchens searching for people on her caseload. Years into her own re…
OPTIONS Liaison Meets People Where They Are
Tom MacElhaney started his job as a resource guide during lockdown, when isolation hit hardest for people struggling with substances. As someone in long-term recovery himself, he saw the urgent need.…
Oliver Bradeen Born to be … a Responder!
Oliver Bradeen rides along with police officers to calls involving substance use, riding in an unmarked car to meet people in crisis. Now he coaches others doing the same work across Maine. He teaches…
Law Enforcement Officers: Allies in Uniforms
Kennebunk Police Chief Bob MacKenzie watched the same people cycle through jail repeatedly until he realized the pattern pointed to one root cause: substance use disorder. That recognition shifted eve…