Bridges for ME: Person-Centered Recovery and Reentry

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) was developed as part of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) legislation. COSSAP’s purpose is to provide financial and technical assistance to states, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by illicit opioids, stimulants, and other drugs of abuse.

The objective of Category 1 is to encourage and support the development of comprehensive, locally driven responses to opioids, stimulants, and other substances that expand access to supervision, treatment, and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for nonviolent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by substance abuse.

The Bridges for ME: Person-Centered Recovery and Reentry Project will focus on the development of an advisory council with at least five community partners and memorandums of understanding with five diverse treatment providers and annual screenings of 1,200 people for SUD/OUD conditions, while offering of 600 people resource referrals and naloxone. The project will also provide an annual provision of group support and reintegration planning to 200 people in jail, as well as intensive reentry services for 150 individuals receiving community service, including MAT and peer navigator services for 60 days. This project serves Cumberland County, population 281,674. The project includes partnerships between Cumberland County Jail, Maine Pretrial Services, Co-occurring Collaborative Serving Maine, SMART, Maine Department of Corrections Probation, MAT providers Catholic Charities Maine, Spurwink Adult Behavioral Health Services, Maine Behavioral Health IMAT, Northern Light Portland Internal Medicine, and Discovery House.

CA/NCF