For Immediate Release
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Seven Maine and New Hampshire Police Departments Partner with P.A.A.R.I. to Begin Addiction Recovery Initiative
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — More than half a dozen Police Departments in Strafford and Rockingham Counties in New Hampshire and York County, Maine are pleased to announce the launch of the Community Access to Recovery (CAR) program, which is set to begin on July 6.
Police Chiefs, along with P.A.A.R.I. Co-Founder John Rosenthal, and representatives from hospitals and recovery centers, gathered at the Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, N.H. this morning to discuss the initiative and opportunities for communities to engage in making the program a success.
Through the CAR program, police departments, in partnership with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), are opening the doors to their stations to those looking for help recovering from the disease of addiction by seeking placement into treatment.
“We’re thrilled to be working with this consortium of police departments in New Hampshire and Maine to further their addiction recovery initiatives,” Rosenthal said. “P.A.A.R.I. continues to grow every day by assisting police departments and participants, and we applaud these communities for taking a proactive approach when handling addiction.”
Program partners include:
- Eliot, Maine Police
- York, Maine Police
- Kittery, Maine Police
- Portsmouth, N.H. Police
- Dover, N.H. Police
- Newmarket, N.H. Police
- Somersworth, N.H. Police
- Wentworth-Douglass Hospital
- York Hospital
- Portsmouth Regional Hospital
- Safe Harbor Recovery Center
Involved departments have set intake hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and have worked with P.A.A.R.I. and local partners to create a brief intake process, conducted by a police officer, who will then provide or ensure transportation to the nearest hospital or recovery program that is participating in the CAR program.
“As the number of partnering law enforcement entities continues to grow and grow, the shift in conversation around treatment availability and options is palpable,” said Gloucester Chief Leonard Campanello, who is also a co-founder of P.A.A.R.I. “We encourage our colleagues at the national level to now embrace the model that is working for so many communities and make it known that American law enforcement considers addiction a disease first and foremost, and stands on the forefront of facilitating help for those suffering from this disease.”
A trained recovery coach will meet each participant at their destination to help navigate treatment options and recovery support systems. The program is designed to help communities address the local side of the nationwide opioid crisis by connecting individuals to resources and providing information about treatment options. CAR is currently accepting donations and looking for volunteers to help make the program possible.
The conversation to deliver quality services and inclusion of additional police departments and hospitals is ongoing. For more information about CAR, or to learn how you can get involved, contact Kristina Goodwin at 877-369-0928 or through email at CommunityAccessToRecovery@gmail.com.
About CAR
The CAR program is modeled after the Gloucester, Mass. Police Department ANGEL Initiative and the Scarborough, Maine Operation HOPE program. Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello and John Rosenthal teamed up to create P.A.A.R.I. last June, to help spread the message of recovery to other police departments. The Scarborough Police Department was one of the organization’s first partners.
About P.A.A.R.I.
P.A.A.R.I. was started to support local police departments as they work with those struggling with the disease of addiction. 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 life saving 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 police departments and those struggling with the disease of addiction.
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