Responding to a crisis of opioid misuse, the Greater Portland Council of Governments is engaged in “providing municipal leaders with knowledge and support to address this problem in their communities.” On May 28, thirty Gorham civic leaders, including representatives from the schools, town government, police and fire departments, met with Liz Blackwell-Moore, a public health consultant with the council’s Communities Addressing Opioid Misuse (COMA) initiative. Gorham is the second Cumberland County community to host a discussion designed to help them discover “how to translate research into practice” by asking “what they are currently doing, identifying gaps, and determining what action to take to address these gaps.”
In his introduction, Chris Record, Gorham School Department assistant superintendent, said that the town was an appropriate community for this forum. He cited Gorham Action Team for Youth (GATY), a community group that meets to address problems affecting young people, and Courage House as examples of community interest.
“Substance use disorder impacts all of us from the youngest to the oldest,” he said, “and we owe it to each other to band together to make Gorham a happy, healthy place for us all.”
Reviewing some of the research on Opioid Misuse Disorder, Blackwell-Moore identified major risks and emphasized the role of adverse childhood experiences. She gave an overview of brain development that showed “the pleasure-seeking part of the brain does not always communicate with the judgement sector in adolescence.” She added that scare tactics do not work with young people. “Research shows that peer support, reduced punishment, and support and training for parents and other adults are more effective.”
When people are working to build resistance to addiction, they are often thwarted by shame and stigma. She advocated changing language, “for example, instead of calling someone an addict, say person with substance use disorder or a person in recovery.” She also cited research that showed a much higher rate of retention from medicinally-assisted treatment after one year than without.
In 2018, Gorham had eight overdose deaths and eleven known Narcan reversals. “Opioid use in Gorham is largely underground,” said Police Chief Dan Jones during a panel discussion following the presentation, “so we have not had enough discussion of it, as well as about vaping and alcohol abuse.”
Building on the discussion of strategies for early intervention and prevention, panelist Claudine Emerson, a Gorham High School counselor, cited GATY programs, in-school suspension, and counseling policies at GHS as examples of current efforts. Health classes on substance use disorder and more resources for referrals were gaps she identified.
Dr. Mark Publicker discussed treatment with opioid medication and emphasized the importance of treating people with respect. He was concerned about people with mental illness self-medicating. He wants to engage the medical community with the community at large through support groups for families.
The recovery case manager for Westbrook, Daniel Rideout, said she gets referrals from Gorham. One issue of concern to her was the roadblocks facing young people with family members suffering from a substance use disorder. She also emphasized the need for community awareness of amphetamine use.
Following the panel, participants held small group discussions about current efforts in Gorham starting with a list prepared from research by COMA that included identifying gaps and possible actions in the areas of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. They were asked what gaps they would like to see addressed in the next year and what additional support they thought Gorham would need to address those gaps with action.
Some of the suggestions coming out of the discussions included holding events at places where young people frequent, such as the library, to give information on where to get help and support for families; seeking state funding for out-patient treatment and staff training; and more preventative strategies for middle school students.
Guided by the COMA lists and suggestions from the workshop participants, Blackwell-Moore said they would prioritize the gaps and actions the group thought to be most urgent.
“We are currently analyzing the results of the brainstorming session,” Record said later, “and will soon be sharing potential action steps with our local leaders and then eventually with the community at large.”
Record expressed appreciation to all the local participants. “I was impressed by the engagement of everyone in attendance and I’m hopeful this is the start of more collaboration by all stakeholders.”