ROCKPORT — Up to 190 addiction patients per year may soon benefit from a new continuum of care program being designed by Pen Bay Healthcare. Within the next several months, Lincoln-Knox County Integrated Treatment Continuum will allow those affected by addiction to access new and expanded programs deemed appropriate depending on the severity of the individual addiction, according to a news release issued Feb. 18 by Maine Health, the parent company of Pen Bay Healthcare.

The Treatment Continuum is a collaboration between Pen Bay Healthcare, Maine Behavioral Healthcare, and Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center of Brunswick and Damariscotta.

Along with the programs, a working group has been established to identify ongoing community issues in respect to addiction in order to remain abreast of prevention and treatment needs.

The Pen Bay Psychiatric Addiction and Recovery Center plans to start the recovery process with intensive in-patient care, which for some may be required for two to seven days, the release said.

The Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center offers intensive outpatient services that will allow patients to deal with withdrawal and stabilize, which can take three to 12 weeks.

Maine Behavioral Healthcare’s Rockland office will provide the next level of care with a full-time psychiatrist, nursing support and counseling services. This stage of care may take 12 to 18 months.

And finally, looking ahead, Maine Behavioral Healthcare will establish a plan to place patients with primary care providers who can monitor and maintain their treatment for long-term recovery.

The announcement of this new behavioral healthcare alliance by members of MaineHealth comes on the heals of an opioid addiction forum held in Rockland, Thursday, Feb. 4. A letter in the Free Press criticizing Pen Bay Healthcare’s level of involvement in addiction recovery published after the forum prompted Pen Bay Healthcare’s CEO Mark Biscone to send a letter to employees and board members.

“I want to assure you that we take the challenge of addiction in our community very seriously and that our organization, along with our partners within MaineHealth, is working to step up our response,” said CEO Biscone, in the letter.

“Much of the criticism leveled at Pen Bay has been centered on our caution with respect to replacement drug therapies such as Suboxone, but it is our belief that such therapies must be administered with care. The risks of diversion and misuse of replacement therapies are real. That is why we have tried to take a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to this problem,” Biscone said.

Originally, Maine Behavioral Healthcare got a request from community stakeholders in Lincoln and Knox counties to extend an existing program at the Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center, which operates in Brunswick and Damariscotta. After looking at the needs, staff at Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Mid Coast Hospital reached out to Pen Bay to develop a model that leverages existing resources with new initiatives, creating an integrated continuum of care.

The new "hub and spoke" model will be put in place over the next several months and will be able to serve up to 190 patients each year. The care continuum will allow those affected by addiction to access the appropriate treatment depending on the severity of their addiction.

"In this region, I think we have come up with a model that is sustainable and will deliver the right care to patients at the right time depending on their needs," said Mark Fourre, chief health affairs officer with MaineHealth, in the release.

While much of the discussion regarding the opioid abuse issue has centered on whether and how people combating an addiction can obtain replacement therapies such as Suboxone, Fourre said the Integrated Treatment Continuum takes that conversation to the next and appropriate level.

“We know there is a place for replacement therapies in the care of patients who are addicted,” said Fourre, who also serves as chief medical officer for another continuum partner, LincolnHealth. “But these drug therapies alone are not the answer, and they pose risks of their own, including diversion and misuse of the replacement drugs. While replacement therapies will be offered as part of this program, the critical pieces are the support services this model provides.”

Paula Delahanty, vice president of nursing services at Pen Bay, said the program compliments well the acute care provided at the hospital’s Psychiatric and Addiction unit.

“We can get people through some of the worst stages of recovery, but to be successful, they will need additional support in the community,” she said.

Eric Haram, director of the Mid Coast Hospital Addiction Resource Center, said the program allows more people to receive services and boosts their chances for success. “This gives us a chance, working with our partners, to treat people for a much longer period of time, which is very helpful.” he said.

And Blanca Gurrola, vice president of outpatient clinical services at Maine Behavioral Healthcare, noted this initiative allows her organization to play an important role in the provision of behavioral health and substance abuse services in the community. “We will be able to provide the ongoing, community-based treatment that is critical to a successful recovery, “said Gurrola. “Having this continuum in place will reduce the chance of relapse.”

Fourre said the final and future stage of the care continuum – getting the patient under the care of a primary care physician equipped to provide the range of services required for long-term success – may be the most important of all. 

“Recovery is a life-long process,” said Fourre.