For Immediate Release

Monday, Aug. 14, 2017

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

Gloucester Police and P.A.A.R.I. Partnering To Connect Overdose Victims To Treatment Options

GLOUCESTER — Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, Interim Chief John McCarthy, John Rosenthal, Co-founder and Chairman of the the Police Assisted Addicition and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), and Allie Hunter McDade, Executive Director of P.A.A.R.I., are pleased to announce that the Gloucester Police Department and P.A.A.R.I. began a new outreach effort Monday in which victims of nonfatal overdoses will receive follow-up visits aimed at directing them into treatment.

Through the partnership, Gloucester Police Officers and P.A.A.R.I. Certified Recovery Coach Tito Rodriguez visit the homes of recent overdose victims to provide them with direct access to recovery resources, including same-day referrals to treatment centers.

“We are tremendously excited to begin this outreach effort,” Hunter McDade said. “This new aspect of the ANGEL Program will enable us to bring resources directly to overdose victims where they live, and reach Gloucester residents who are at the highest risk for a fatal overdose.”

Rodriguez and officers working on behalf of the Gloucester ANGEL Program will work with victims and families in an effort to direct people into treatment soon after an overdose event.

“Mental health, substance abuse and so much more are issues that cross into all communities so we have to work together to address them,” said Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. “Partnerships are a necessity, not a choice, to save lives and help people get the help and services that everyone deserves.”

P.A.A.R.I. will also provide overdose survivors and families with 4mg nasal naloxone, the life-saving overdose reversal drug​, so they are prepared in the event of a future overdose.​

“Our top priority is ensuring that those in need are connected to the resources that can help them overcome addiction,” Chief McCarthy said. “Our doors are always open, and we hope that these face-to-face visits will encourage people to get help.”

Similar initiatives have proved successful in Arlington, Plymouth and East Bridgewater, where officers and recovery coaches visit with overdose survivors shortly after responding to calls for service.

“Data driven policing has been an essential tool that has allowed us to develop a predictive and preventative approach to overdoses,” P.A.A.R.I. Police Council Chair and Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan said. “I am pleased that P.A.A.R.I. and the Gloucester Police are joining together to adopt this proactive program.”

Chairman Rosenthal added: “It is impossible to effectively address the opioid crisis that has impacted so many families nationwide without a collaborative, hands-on effort by law enforcement and the recovery community.”

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