HOULTON, Maine — A significant number of overdoses with several deaths in May has reignited the Link for Hope Coalition in Houlton, according to organizers.
The coalition reestablished last week for the first time since COVID-19 to explore with various community groups the needs, gaps and new ideas to help Houlton and southern Aroostook heal and provide addiction services, co-chair Trudy Rairdon said.
“We really needed to connect,” Rairdon said. “Addiction is wreaking havoc on the workforce and our community.”
With the recent increase in Houlton drug overdoses and deaths, coalition organizers said it is important for the entire community to work together to find solutions to a problem devastating local families. In addition to drug overdoses, there remains a stigma and lack of understanding of addictions throughout the community, according to coalition co-chair Beckly Miller.
A meeting held Tuesday at the Aroostook Recovery Center for Hope in Houlton drew 29 people from the schools, health care, law enforcement and the faith community, Rairdon said.
The state medical examiner’s office confirmed two suspected drug overdose deaths in Houlton in May, although this may not be the total number, they said. Such deaths are growing statewide. From January to April 2023 there were 201 fatal drug overdoses in the state, consisting of 174 confirmed and 27 suspected drug deaths. In April alone, there were 57 fatal drug overdoses, 46 confirmed and 11 suspected cases.
Link for Hope is a nonprofit, community based coalition with a vision of promoting health, safety and quality of life for all youth, families and community members in southern Aroostook County.
“The mission of the Link for Hope Coalition is to enhance the quality of life [in the area] by reducing problems related to alcohol and other drug problems and teen suicide,” Rairdon said.
The coalition’s early efforts led to a large state grant that funded two substance use peer support recovery centers in Houlton and Caribou.
Participants at Tuesday’s meeting heard the results of an assessment gap analysis by the Aroostook Mental Health Center that detailed areas of concern and progress. Alcohol remains the drug of choice in The County, and there is a huge need for a sober living facility in the Houlton area, the organizers said.
“There are 14 in Bangor, and the only one in The County is in Caribou,” they said.
Caribou in fact has two sober living homes, one for women and one for men.
“They want to know what is going on in the community,” she said.
The law enforcement group said they are desperately short-staffed but want to be proactive, according to Rairdon.
The group discussed a possible crisis navigator who could go on call with police and follow up after calls, something police currently do not have time to do.
Representatives from the Aroostook County district attorney’s office talked about the importance of a drug recovery court that is currently under consideration in the Legislature.
In April, Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, proposed legislation to establish an adult criminal treatment court in Aroostook County. LD 1596 would appropriate ongoing funds — $119,886 in 2023 and $126,195 in 2024 — for an assistant district attorney position for the court. The Judiciary Committee has been in work sessions this month regarding the legislation.
Aroostook County is the only judicial region in Maine without a drug treatment court. For those who want help, the closest such option is in Calais, a drive of more than 100 miles for most county residents. Without treatment, more than 75 percent of those jailed on drug charges will repeat the drug crime cycle and return to jail, experts said.
Naloxone — an overdose reversing drug — distribution is another big push, Rairdon said, adding that all inmates released from the Aroostook County jail leave with naloxone and there are distribution points throughout the town.
Reaching youth in the schools is critical, coalition members said. They want to bring new evidence-based prevention programs into the schools for younger grades.
“Many kids are raising themselves because Mom and Dad are not available because of addiction,” Rairdon said.
The business community also wants information to help employees, and those attending Tuesday’s meeting suggested providing short information videos for them to access.
“Many are feeling helpless and asking, ‘What do I do?’” she said. “There was a lot of great discussion.”
Miller and Rairdon will next meet with Aroostook Mental Health Services Inc. to talk about next steps.