Guest Opinion: Opioid addiction treatment approach in Gloucester a sound step

[unhappycamper]

http://www.tauntongazette.com/article/20150624/OPINION/150628232/0/breaking_ajax

In the two weeks since the Gloucester Police Department launched the “ANGEL Initiative," more than a dozen people have already enrolled in recovery programs and are on their way to reclaiming their lives.

Guest Opinion: Opioid addiction treatment approach in Gloucester a sound step
By Charles J. Faris
Jun. 24, 2015 at 3:27 PM

In the two weeks since the Gloucester Police Department launched the “ANGEL Initiative”— a program that transfers individuals seeking treatment for opiate addiction directly from the police station to a treatment facility — more than a dozen people have already enrolled in recovery programs and are on their way to reclaiming their lives. That number is expected to grow significantly as the initiative gains additional attention.

Spectrum Health Systems is proud to support the initiative by acting as a primary partner for treatment services. The ANGEL Initiative, led by Chief Leonard Campanello, shifts the focus from criminal charges to treatment while fading the stigma associated with the struggle to fight addiction.

While no one can predict what the ultimate success of this program will be in terms of getting treatment to those in need, it has already succeeded by changing the conversation around addiction and engaging the community to work together for the greater good. This program strengthens the network between law enforcement and treatment providers while engaging volunteer mentors or “ANGELs” to support individuals seeking treatment from the moment they are transported from the police station to a health care facility.

As we develop new programs and initiatives to combat the opiate addiction epidemic, it is imperative that we focus on strategic collaboration and the de-stigmatization of addiction. Implementing programs such as these is not an overnight process, and no one municipality can do it alone. It is incumbent upon all law enforcement, health insurers, health care providers, non-profits and municipal and state governments to address the epidemic today and prepare us for tomorrow.

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I think Chief Leonard Campanello is doing the correct thing sending addicts for treatment. The alternative (or Republican) thing to do is lock 'em up. (And guess who pays for incarceration.)

The guy that wrote this is from the company who is providing treatment services.