MaineGeneral Receives $1 Million Grant to Address Opioid Use Disorder, Prevention
MaineGeneral Medical Center (MGMC) has received a three-year, $1 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support efforts that address the opioid crisis.
“This grant enables us to build on existing community and medical staff partnerships to deliver more services for opioid treatment and provide support for recovery,” said LeeAnna Lavoie, MPH, CHES, director of Prevention Services. “Importantly, we also will work on prevention initiatives, including strategies to help combat substance use disorder among youth.”
The MaineGeneral project, Substance Use Prevention and Expanded Recovery (SUPER), seeks to
- Improve coordination and collaboration across the region to address Substance Use Disorder/Opioid Use Disorder;
- Increase access to quality prevention, treatment and recovery services;
- Decrease infectious complications and overdoses by expanding harm reduction and recovery services; and
- Improve individual, family, caregiver and community support for recovery and treatment.
The grant builds on work of the Partnership for Recovery grant MaineGeneral received last fall which is currently enhancing community collaborations around the issue of opioid use disorder and combatting stigma as a way to help more people with substance use disorder.
MaineGeneral operates substance use disorder services in the hospital and community and operates a Harm Reduction Program in Augusta and Waterville. The health system has been working in the community for years to address substance use disorder.
“The health of a community lies beyond the walls of the hospital and its clinics,” said Steve Diaz, MD, chief medical officer of MaineGeneral Health. “True health care lies in community partnerships where everyone is contributing what they do best and coordinating their efforts. We owe this to the many people and families in our community who are struggling.”
