All posts by Chris Facchini
On the Front Lines
Acadia Hospital and the Bangor Police Department are working together to find effective ways to provide support to officers in the field who oftentimes find themselves confronted with an individual dealing with a mental health or substance use challenge. This fresh approach to de-escalation of potentially explosive interactions provides opportunities for individuals to be proactively […]
Opioid Crisis: Understanding the problem and creating solutions
BANGOR (February 28, 2018) State Senator Andre Cushing (R) Newport spoke into a microphone and asked the question, “How many of you have a family member or a friend who has been affected by opioids?” Several hands went up. Cushing was one of five panelists discussing the opioid epidemic at the Bangor Region Chamber of […]
HHS Secretary to Governors: Let’s reduce stigma of medication-assisted treatment for opioids
Washington D.C. (February 24, 2018) – At the National Governor’s Conference on Saturday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II commended governors for their work to address the opioid epidemic and urged them to help reduce the stigma of medication-assisted treatment. “I chose to highlight medication-assisted treatment today because this is a particular aspect of […]
Raising the BARN
About 400 people seated at tables inside the ballroom at the Cross Insurance Center tapped away on their smartphones. The Message that appeared on their screens asked them to vote with their phones: “Text ONE for the BARN, TWO for Eastern Area Agency on Aging, THREE for Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, FOUR For Literacy Volunteers […]
A New Horizon for People in Withdrawal
For people looking for a safe place to go to withdraw from drugs and alcohol, there’s a new offering in the Greater Bangor Area—a social detox facility in Hampden opened its doors this month. New Horizon, a ten bed facility operated by Wellspring is now open. New Horizon is an outpatient residential facility where patients […]