Acadia Hospital has received a $50,000 grant from the Penobscot Valley Health Association Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to provide for the training and expanded access to Suboxone Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for clients seeking recovery from an opioid use disorder.

MAT combines counseling and behavioral therapy with medications to treat substance use disorders. Acadia Hospital will partner with other members of the Bangor area Community Health Leadership Board including Eastern Maine Medical Center, St. Joseph Healthcare, Penobscot Community Health Care, Community Health and Counseling Services and the City of Bangor Public Health Department.

"While the issue of opioid use disorder is a daunting one, we are seeing people and organizations come together for a common purpose, and we are grateful for the generous financial support this grant provides," said Bangor Public Health Director Patty Hamilton, FNP, who chairs the Community Health Leadership Board, in a news release.

Acadia Hospital will provide Suboxone MAT training and job shadowing for observation of client screenings, inductions, counseling modalities, relapse prevention, and related services for two to four primary care physician-led teams at Eastern Maine Medical Center and St. Joseph Healthcare. Penobscot Community Health Care and Community Health and Counseling Services will provide mentoring and referral linkages, while Bangor Public Health will provide project coordination among the partners and help with reporting and documentation of results.

The CHLB recently launched the Circle of Caring Challenge, which is a social media campaign to show our community united, surrounding people struggling with opioid use disorder in the greater Bangor region with compassion and support. To learn more about the opioid epidemic, the Circle of Caring Challenge or to make a donation go to: www.bangorchlb.org.

Acadia Hospital is a fully accredited and licensed nonprofit psychiatric hospital whose mission it is to empower people to improve their lives. For more information go to www.acadiahospital.org.