SCARBOROUGH – This week, the Scarborough Police Department placed its 100th addict in its new Operation HOPE drug treatment and rehabilitation program.
The Operation HOPE project, which stands for Heroin Opiate Prevention Effort, launched on Oct. 1 with the goal of helping those stuck in the downward spiral that often accompanies a drug addiction.
The 100th participant in the program is a man in his 30s from greater Portland, who requested the police department’s help in obtaining treatment for his heroin addiction.
In the three months since its launch, Operation HOPE has placed Mainers from Fort Kent to Kittery in in rehabilitation programs in eight states.
What’s even better, is that two-thirds of the program participants lacked either the health care coverage or private financial resources that would have allowed them to obtain treatment on their own, according to Officer John Gill, the local Operation HOPE coordinator.
“This has truly been a community effort,” said Scarborough Police Chief Robbie Moulton, noting that Operation HOPE is staffed by volunteers under the supervision of police department and is supported through funding and supplies donated by area residents, local businesses and civic organizations.
“We are extremely grateful to our volunteer Angels and the members of the public who have helped make Operation HOPE possible,” Moulton added.
“(But), we especially appreciate the strength and courage shown by the 100 men and women who have come forward to ask for help with this horrible disease.”
And, Gill said that the demand for services through Operation HOPE is indicative of the gravity of Maine’s continuing heroin and opiate epidemic.
He also said recent data indicates that up to five Mainers die weekly as a result of heroin and opioid overdoses and that more than 1,000 drug-affected babies were born in Maine in 2015.
See www.operationhopemaine.org for more information about how this program works and to get help for you or a loved one.
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