For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Gateway Foundation Partners with Lee County Safe Passage Initiative

DIXON, Ill. — Police Chief Danny Langloss and Lee County Sheriff John Simonton are pleased to announce that the Safe Passage Initiative has added the Gateway Foundation, as a local, in-state partner.

Earlier this month, Dixon Police and the Lee Country Sheriff’s Department launched The Safe Passage Initiative: Police Giving Hope to Addicts Through the Tools For Recovery, an addiction recovery initiative modeled after the Gloucester, Mass. Police Department’s ANGEL Program that is aimed at encouraging addicts to seek the help of police officers and sheriff’s deputies, who will in turn get them into treatment.

“We are overwhelmed by the support we have received from organizations like Gateway, who has already taken three of our participants into treatment,” Chief Langloss said. “The success of this program is dependent on our partnerships with these generous treatment centers and we couldn’t be more grateful to Gateway for coming on board with open arms.”

Since its inception, Safe Passage has already placed 12 people from Lee County into treatment centers, three of whom are in treatment with Gateway.

“We are pleased to add another partner to this ground-breaking initiative,” Sheriff Simonton said. “The resources that Gateway will be able to provide to our residents are imperative in our fight to end this epidemic. Our community is grateful for their eager participation and we are looking forward to a long and successful relationship.”

Gateway will provide The Safe Passage Initiative with a full complement of recovery services for its participants.

“Gateway is honored to be partnering with the Safe Passage Initiative. The devastating effects of drug and alcohol addiction have touched communities all over the country and the results are devastating to individual who struggle with this disorder and their families” said Jim Scarpace, Executive Director of Gateway’s Aurora location. “This proactive approach to addiction gives us hope that we can proactively provide treatment to target this disease, and we are proud to be involved as a resource for individuals who struggle with substance use disorders and their families.”

Lee County and Dixon also became the first agencies to partner with The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) in Illinois. P.A.A.R.I. now has 23 police and sheriff’s departments as partners, in eight states.

About Gateway
Gateway Alcohol & Drug Treatment is a non-profit organization with treatment centers located throughout Illinois and the St. Louis Metro East area. Since 1968, Gateway has been an industry leader in providing the answers and resources that individuals and their families need related to drug and alcohol addiction treatment.

Gateway offers substance abuse treatment programs for both adults and teens including Outpatient, Inpatient, Day Treatment, and Aftercare programs. They also provide treatment to those who are challenged with a Co-Occuring/Dual-Diagnosed mental health problem. Gateway is accredited by The Joint Commission, the leading accrediting organization for hospitals and other healthcare organizations.

About P.A.A.R.I.
P.A.A.R.I. was started to support local police departments as they work with opioid addicts. Rather than arrest our way out of the problem of drug addiction, P.A.A.R.I. committed police departments:

• Encourage opioid drug users to seek recovery
• Help distribute lifesaving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses
• Connect people suffering with opioid addiction with treatment programs and facilities
• Provide resources to other police departments and communities that want to do more to fight the opioid addiction epidemic

P.A.A.R.I. was created by Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello and John Rosenthal to bridge the gap between the police department and opioid addicts seeking recovery.

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