Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Monday that her administration is investing $3.5 million into substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services in Kennebec and Washington Counties.
The investment comes as the most recent data from the Maine Attorney General’s Office reports more than 8,259 drug overdoses and 513 fatal overdoses in 2023 as of October.
From January through October 2023, Kennebec and Washington Counties reported a total of 901 overdoses, and 70 fatal overdoses — together accounting for almost 15 percent of the state’s total overdose fatalities in 2023.
[RELATED: Mills Touts Opioid Policies as Overdoses in Maine Total Almost 6,000 This Year…]
The $3.5 million investment — appropriated by the State Legislature — will fund a first of its kind SUD Receiving Center and Medically Monitored Withdrawal ‘Detox’ program in Kennebec County, featuring a 10-bed withdrawal management program and a walk-in receiving center for triage services, referrals, wound care, and medication management.
The legislative appropriation includes a one-time $400,000 investment for the development of the center, and an additional $1.6 million for its ongoing operations.
At least 40 percent of the Kennebec SUD treatment center will be available to individuals covered through MaineCare.
In Washington county, $1.5 million is being made available to help fund the renovation and start-up costs related to new or expanded SUD residential treatment beds.
“These investments, along with the collaborative work being done by our local partners, will help ensure that more Maine people suffering from substance use disorder can access the treatment they need to begin the lifelong path to recovery,” Gov. Mills said in a Monday press release.
“My Administration will continue to work in partnership with the Legislature and the recovery community to prevent and treat addiction and to save lives,” Mills said.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="23847 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=23847">4 Comments
More money waisted by incompetent Mills and her administration.
…lol, build more, staff more! Oops, we need more money! It’s like most of government: the money goes to administration and never to where it’s needed most!
513 over dose deaths already this year. This problem looks to be self limiting
The GALL family finally has a place for their family members. Research these people and you will understand Augusta, Maine Politics. Our government spends a fortune to support insiders, who just want to hand our more drugs. How wonderful for our junkie representatives and the leaders of this state and city, yes a junkie running the Drug Program with the help of an elderly man who’s never been much of anything. Our mission to keep people on drugs by giving them free drugs creates JUNKIE ZOMBIES. Central Maine is a disaster zone because someone in this club is profiting by tenants in their buildings growing, packaging and dealing drugs in our city…the drug lords are obviously connected.
It’s a 1979 Commercial Property not built to accommodate Junkie Zombies and medical teams. It’s filthy and
will need a fortune to rehab this facility all on the taxpayers dime. Like a Gall Properties it’s suspect, eat at their restaurant and be served by crack addicts with open sores and Hepatitis. Yummy! Great to have them up by the Empire of Maine (NO) Housing another oxymoron. Maine Housing employees are doing great, the poor and unhoused not so much. Can’t wait till they shift the addicts up into that hood. The LINC Team at 38 Memorial Drive Augusta, ME 04330 207-622-5736 on the corner of Gage Street and Memorial bridge is the current drug handout spot. (The big white building with 4 pillars)is such a welcoming place and the crowd that collects on the corner of Gage Street and uses the free drug programs are all upstanding citizens. Augusta, Maine has always been the capitol of crazy…now more than ever.