As commissioners of the Maine departments of Health and Human Services and Corrections, we work toward making some of our services unnecessary.
opioid epidemic
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Harsh state drug laws doing more harm than good
It’s too easy for Mainers struggling with addiction to end up with the burden of a felony conviction.
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Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Maine’s opioid epidemic is far from over
We’re doing most of the right things to save lives. We just need to do more.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Health groups propose statewide network of ‘low-barrier’ drug treatment clinics
The pilot proposal, which carries a price tag of $920,000, comes at a time when drug overdose deaths appear to be rising again despite efforts to tackle the problem.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Five overdose deaths so far this month have Portland on alert
Police say the rash of overdoses is concerning and yet another sign that the state’s prolonged opioid crisis has not abated.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Maine lawmakers urged to tackle mental health crisis in the state’s jails
A bill before the Legislature aims to ease the strain on the corrections system, including county jails, which increasingly house people with mental health issues who face criminal charges.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine needs more services for opioid treatment, state drug official says
Gordon Smith, the state’s director of opioid response, tells lawmakers that access to medication-assisted treatment has improved but Maine needs more long-term recovery services such as housing, counseling and coaching.
Posted inBusiness, Health, Nation & World, New England
Ex-drug company executives face reckoning in opioid bribery case
The case against Insys Therapeutics is considered the first seeking to hold an opioid maker criminally liable for the ongoing drug crisis.
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
Our View: Congress should lower barriers for drug treatment
Federal law requires a waiver for medical providers who prescribe one of the most effective treatments for opioid use disorder.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Times Record
Maine will receive $5.3 million to boost opioid treatment for new mothers
Maine is among 10 states that will get federal funding over the next 5 years to improve access to treatment for women with opioid use disorder who are pregnant or have recently given birth.