Poliquin Holds Town Hall for Families Fighting Addiction

Congressman Poliquin will host a Congressional Town Hall in Bangor on Tuesday, June 28, to connect families to area addiction prevention and treatment resources.

Congressman Poliquin, a founding member of the Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, will host the Operation Community SAFER (Supporting Area Families to Enable Recovery) forum from 6 to 8 p.m. in Maine Hall at Eastern Maine Community College off of Hogan Road in Bangor. Space will be limited to the first 200 attendees.

I lost a family member to a long battle with addiction and so I know what it’s like to feel helpless and hopeless in the face of this deadly disease,” said Congressman Poliquin. “This forum will provide simple steps to help prevent substance abuse and connections to resources close to home so we can better support our loved ones to get help and get healthy so they can be positive and productive members of our families and our communities.”

The Town Hall will provide attendees practical prevention and early interventions tips; an overview of the different types of substance abuse disorder treatment programs available including how to find the appropriate option for a loved one; and an overview of how drugs impact the brain so loved ones of an addict can better understand and support recovery.

There will also be breakout sessions where attendees can talk directly with Eastern Maine’s leading prevention, treatment, law enforcement and health care leaders, and each other.

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department will provide a prescription take-back where attendees can safely and conveniently dispose of unused prescription drugs.

Congressman Poliquin said the idea for Operation Community SAFER came from the many conversations he’s had with those on the front lines of Maine’s opioid epidemic who say the most common call they receive is from parents who don’t know where to turn as they watch a loved one struggle with a substance use disorder. A recent statewide taskforce also concluded that if families were better educated and engaged in evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery, youth would be guided away from substance use towards paths of success and wellness.

Last year, 272 people died in Maine from a drug overdose.