Join us to watch Governor Mills' 3rd Annual Opioid Response Summit

Healthy Acadia at 24 Church Street in Ellsworth is one of fifteen Maine sites serving as hosts for Governor Mills’ 3rd Annual Opioid Response Summit. The summit is virtual, but you don't have to watch it alone. Come watch it with us! We'll have lunch and coffee ready for everyone, and it would be wonderful to see you all in person again. 

In accordance with current COVID-19 guidelines, masks and distancing are required for unvaccinated individuals and optional for others, and if you are experiencing symptoms or have knowingly been exposed to anyone with symptoms within the past 48 hours, we ask that you remain at home for everyone's safety. 

No RSVP is needed to spend the day with us, but you will need to register for the summit. If you can register in advance, please do. Otherwise, we are happy to register you when you arrive. Registration is $35 (credit or debit card only), and there are scholarships available which we're all encouraged to use as needed. Please feel free to share this with your staff, patients, and clients. One advantage of registering in advance is that you'll be able to stream the award-winning film "Jacinta", which is described in more detail in the information below. Register for the Summit Here  

Our Church Street office, in Ellsworth, is one of Maine's newest Recovery Community Centers, thanks to support from the State of Maine. We're so grateful to be able to serve in this capacity. Big thanks also go out to Maine Community Foundation for their support in making this in-person gathering possible. Other recovery centers serving as sites for the summit are located in Portland, Lewiston, Brewer, Bridgton, Bath, Boothbay Harbor, Machias, Calais, Caribou, Houlton, Millinocket, Lincoln, Rumford, Rockland, and Ellsworth. These sites will have hosts/moderators from the state available to assist registrants. Click here to find a Center closest to you.

You'll find more information about the summit below. We hope to see you on the 15th! 

Governor Mills 3rd Annual Opioid Response Summit

Perseverance, Prevention, and Promise

Thursday, July 15, 2021

8:00 AM -  3:30 PM EST

Live, Virtual Event

$35 Registration Fee includes summit attendance, film viewing with panel discussion, and continuing education credit.

The annual summit is part of the state’s commitment to fighting the opioid epidemic and convenes leaders from around Maine to share ideas, strategies, and best practices to help Maine people affected by this crisis. The full-day program will feature live presentations, poster sessions, and prerecorded panel discussions, with the voices of persons in recovery featured prominently again this year. The conversations will continue following the summit with registrants having access to online content and monthly events featuring Maine presenters focusing on prevention, treatment strategies, voices of recovery, and emerging issues. 

The summit’s theme, “Perseverance, Prevention, and Promise” reflects the resolve of our state to continue to work together to promote and achieve wellness and recovery in all communities across our great state.

We will hear from Attorney General Aaron Frey and the Director of Maine CDCP Nirav Shah, MD, J.D. The afternoon will feature a panel discussion with leaders in opioid response from the Biden-Harris Administration.

In conjunction with Governor Mill’s Opioid Response Summit, the State of Maine and Points North Institute would like to invite you to a special Recovery in Maine virtual screening of the powerful, award-winning documentary film JACINTA, followed by a Zoom discussion with special guests, on July 14, 2021, from 7-8 p.m.

Filmed in Maine, JACINTA is a deeply intimate portrait of mothers and daughters and the effects of trauma. The film follows the story of a young woman in and out of prison as she attempts to break free from an inherited cycle of addiction, incarceration, and crime.

As a participant in the Opioid Response Summit, you’ll have an opportunity to be one of the first audiences to see this film. JACINTA will be available for individual viewing online from July 9th through July 15th at midnight. A link to the film will be sent to all who preregister. 

Governor Mills will open the Summit while joining Erin French, owner and chef of The Lost Kitchen and author of the New York Times Best Seller Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story, Remaking A Life From Scratch. Chef French will share her personal story of survival and renewal and describe how she overcame her struggles with the help of her community Erin French Bio. The first 800 registrations will receive a free hardcover copy of Finding Freedom. One book per unique registration.

There will be twelve breakout sessions throughout the day covering topics across the domains of Prevention, Treatment, Harm-Reduction, and Recovery Support. 

Topics will include:

Treatment Courts

  • Culturally Appropriate Care

  • Adverse Childhood Events

  • Infants Plan of Safe Care

  • Connections Between Suicide and Accidental Overdoses

  • Medication-Assisted Treatment in Maine’s Prison System

  • Recovery Friendly Worksites

  • Compassionate Tapering

  • Recovery Pathways

  • Challenges of the Pandemic

  • The Maine MOM Initiative

  • The Role of Law Enforcement in Arrests, Seizures and Overdose Prevention

Click here to find out more on breakouts

6 Continuing Education Credits - For more information on credits offered 

AdCare has applied for Certified Medical Education Credits ( CME)

AdCare has applied to the Maine Prevention Board for credentialing

For questions about the summit, please contact Katherine Coutu at katherine.coutu@maine.gov

POSTTracey CarlsonCE, SPR