Courtesy / AMHC
Staff members in 2020 celebrated the 45th anniversary of Aroostook Mental Health Center's Limestone residential facility.
September 9, 2021
Aroostook Mental Health Center to receive $1M for fighting opioid crisis
By Jessica Hall
The Aroostook Mental Health Center has been awarded $1 million to combat the opioid crisis in northern Maine through education, training and increased access to prevention, treatment and recovery services.
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, announced the award, which was funded through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.
The lawmakers sent a letter to HRSA’s leadership earlier this year to make the case for the application.
“The opioid crisis has devastated families and communities across Maine, claiming 504 lives in our state last year alone,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “This vital funding will help educate Northern communities on the dangers of drug and opioid use, and provide the people of Aroostook County with the accessible services they need to combat this public health emergency.”
Ellen Bemis, CEO of the Aroostook Mental Health Center, said the agency is looking forward to helping reduce stigma through education and training, and increase prevention, treatment and recovery services.
The nonprofit health and social services organization has branches in 10 locations and serves Aroostook, Hancock and Washington counties. AMHC helps about 4,500 people annually on an $18.5 million budget.
The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program is a multi-year initiative that addresses barriers to treatment for substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder. The program has invested $298 million across more than 1,420 counties since the start of 2018.
Aroostook Mental Health Center received a $200,000 planning grant last year from the same group to seek community feedback about what help and services were needed to combat the opioid crisis.
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