Free screenings of the film “Recovery Boys” and community discussions about the ongoing opioid crisis will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, at the Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St. in Damariscotta, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, at Boothbay Region High School auditorium, 236 Townsend Ave. in Boothbay Harbor.
Refreshments will be offered one half hour prior to each event, according to a news release from Maine Behavioral Healthcare.
The film, a Netflix documentary, is an intimate look at four young men in West Virginia attempting to reinvent their lives and mend broken relationships after years of drug misuse. Panel discussions following the film will include LincolnHealth physicians, local law enforcement officers, and other community stakeholders.
These events are part of Recovery in Maine, a program led by Points North Institute, along with support from MaineHealth and its affiliates LincolnHealth and Maine Behavioral Healthcare.
The goal of these events is to raise awareness about the impact of the opioid crisis in Maine, while identifying emerging solutions and available resources in the region. Community members from all backgrounds are invited to listen, learn and participate in the conversation.
“Ensuring individuals with opioid use disorder in our community have access to medication-assisted treatment and appropriate counseling close to home continues to be a focus for LincolnHealth,” said LincolnHealth President James “Jim” Donovan, according to the release.
“As part of the MaineHealth network of care we are proud of the investment we are making in our system-wide effort to seek solutions to this public health crisis. LincolnHealth physicians, integrated behavioral health clinicians, and our many dedicated community partners work together to help patients with transportation, housing, employment, and the support they need for a successful recovery,” Donovan said, according to the release.
“We are losing hundreds of Mainers every year — 418 alone in 2017 — to the epidemic of opioid use disorder and addiction,” said Steve Merz, president of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, according to the release.
“As Maine’s largest integrated health care delivery system, MaineHealth is investing substantial resources in developing community-based solutions to address prevention, education and treatment of Opioid Use Disorder. Maine Behavioral Healthcare provides intensive treatment at three sites for patients who have acute levels of need. All MaineHealth primary care practices provide treatment to patients who are more stable. Together, our practices served more than 1,000 Maine people last year. We are proud to support this film festival as a means to facilitate critical conversations in our communities about how best to work together and support one another to save lives,”Merz said, according to the release.
“Documentary film screenings can be a powerful tool for building communities and creating a forum for public dialogue,” said Ben Fowlie, executive and artistic director of the Points North Institute, according to the release.
“We’re thrilled to work with MaineHealth to launch a series that directly confronts the opiate crisis, a critical issue that impacts all Mainers,” Fowlie said, according to the release.
The program was launched in July with screenings held in 11 towns and four counties to date.
Additional upcoming screenings will be held in Augusta, Norway, Farmington, and just across the state line in North Conway, New Hampshire.
To date, the Recovery in Maine program has received support from MaineHealth, Maine Behavioral Health, the Pen Bay Waldo Healthcare Foundation, Camden National Bank, the Fledgling Fund, the Bingham Program, Davis Family Foundation, and Allen Insurance & Financial.
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