Substance use disorder resource series to be offered

People in recovery, considering recovery, family members, allies and professionals are all invited to attend an upcoming series of resource fairs being hosted by Helping Hands with Heart, a Piscataquis County coalition. The events, which are also made possible with the help of Maine Child Welfare Education, aim to provide information and education about substance abuse disorder resources available in and around Piscataquis County.

Sessions, available via Zoom, are slated from 3-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, May 17, June 7 and June 28. Members of various agencies will present information about the resources they provide to people in recovery from substance abuse disorder. 

“We, as a group, have been working on creating a series of substance use disorder resources,” said Georgia Underwood, who is the recovery coach coordinator for Piscataquis County with the Maine Alliance for Recovery Coaching, and is also involved with this issue via her work with the nonprofit Helping Hands with Heart’s MHIP Substance Use Disorder Team. “We would have normally done this in one day and held a huge summit, inviting everyone! Due to COVID-19, we are holding this series by Zoom. We are asking people to register for each session. We have not provided an agenda, as speakers can change quickly with a series. The sessions all pertain to recovery resources, and we have done our best not to be repetitive.” 

Presenters represent a wide array of agencies, including Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Penquis, Northern Light Mayo Regional Hospital, StrengthenME, Partners for Peace, Northern Light Acadia Hospital and Maine Access Points, as well as individuals discussing many community-based services around substance use disorder recovery. Presenters will take questions, and the entire resource fair will be posted to YouTube, along with contact information for each of the resources. 

“Anyone can attend who is contemplating recovery, in recovery, or an affected other,” Underwood said, “and we all can be recovery allies, so everyone is invited!”  

Derek Hurder, program manager of Youth Victims of the Opioid Crisis with Family Enrichment Services, has also been involved in the effort to bring a resource fair to fruition. 

“This group is committed to providing education to our community about the resources available to them, and this seemed like a good way to do that,” he said. “Attendees can expect to learn about the many pathways to recovery, harm reduction resources, peer-to-peer services, and other resources. I think the main benefit of attending is that increasing your knowledge of what’s available for help in this region is crucial. Even if you yourself don’t have a substance use disorder, we are all impacted by it. Whether it’s a friend, a family member or someone else in your life who has a substance use disorder, being able to pass that knowledge on will help them and our community.”

One attendee from each session will win a $50 gift card. An RSVP is required to attend, by visiting https://bit.ly/32bnQ2o. 

For more information, contact Georgia Underwood at 207-540-0269.