Gorham is armed with an Action Plan to deal with the opioid crisis. Following May’s public meeting on Opioid Awareness, a team of civic leaders used community input to articulate strategies for a coordinated civic effort. The stated goal of this multi-faceted plan is “to increase the town of Gorham’s use of evidence-based policies and practices to address addiction and the opioid misuse problem.”
The Action Plan includes seven strategies: Increase prevention activities targeting young people in 5-9th grade; Provide training to school staff on strategies for preventing and reducing youth substance use; Provide training to recreation department staff on strategies for preventing and reducing youth substance use; Reduce nicotine use by people under age 21; Reduce stigma and increase the visibility of the problem and resources for addressing the problem; Increase referrals to the Westbrook Recovery Liaison; and Develop standards that encourage recovery residences to become certified by the Maine Association of Recovery Residences.
During a second public meeting on October 15, Liz Blackwell-Moore, MPH, of Birch Lane Strategies, reviewed the recent research behind the opioid misuse problem. Blackwell-Moore and Bridget O’Connor, Director of the Public Health Program at Opportunity Alliance, added their professional expertise in the area of public health research to the final version of Gorham’s Action Plan.
Zooey Miller of the Greater Portland Council of Government, the organization that facilitated the creation of the plan, asked the two dozen attendees, “How can Gorham move forward?”
Representatives from local government, Gorham schools, law enforcement, and physical and mental health professionals shared their current work on the problem and offered thoughts on what is still needed. Many of the speakers stressed the importance of community services that work toward providing the support necessary to help those on their path to recovery. The role of Danielle Rideout, a liaison of Westbrook Recovery, was frequently mentioned as a model of the type of support needed in Gorham. As Dr. Sarah Gallo, of Martin’s Point Health Center in Gorham, stated, “Support those people who are supporting people who are addicted.”
At the end of the evening, small group discussions focused on three questions to prompt ideas for additional steps the town can take in its efforts: How can the public be a part of supporting and implementing the Action Plan? How can the town get more of the public to support the Action Plan? What can you commit to doing to be a part of addressing the problem?
Suggestions from both the speakers and the attendees dealt with both the opioid misuse problem and the method for increasing public awareness of Gorham’s efforts. Officer Dave Bruni of the Gorham Police Department explained how an open line of communication to kids is extremely important. Several positive comments referenced the recent establishment of Courage House. Claudine Emerson, Gorham High School social worker, suggested, “Our town needs one place where Gorham people can go to find needed services for people in need.”
Chris Record, Assistant Superintendent of Gorham Schools, emphasized that the success of the plan depends on involving the public through meetings with Gorham clubs, business and civic groups. “We must go where the people are to share our strategies and solicit additional public input.”