For Immediate Release

Monday, Nov. 30, 2015

Contact: Captain Richard Flynn, PIO
Office: 781-316-3907
Cell: 781-844-1224
Email: rflynn@town.arlington.ma.us

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Arlington Police Partner with Square Medical Group of Watertown to Further Their Strategy on Combating Opiate Addiction 

Anti-Addiction Medication, Vivitrol, Now Available to Residents to Prevent Opioid Relapse Following Detox

ARLINGTON — Chief Frederick Ryan is pleased to report that the Arlington Police Department has partnered with Square Medical Group of Watertown to expand resources for its strategy on Combating Opiate Addiction by providing residents with Vivitrol and outpatient treatment services to assist in their recovery efforts.

Vivitrol is the first and only once-monthly, nonaddictive, nonnarcotic medication proven to prevent relapse following detoxification. Residents will also be able to receive services through Square Medical’s primary care, behavioral health, and substance abuse programs.

The partnership allows the Arlington Police Department to continue to implement the goals of the Arlington Outreach Initiative, including expanding addiction treatment options and resources (inpatient and outpatient) and increasing access to medication/pharmaceutical assisted treatment for opiate addiction.

“Square Medical will play a vital role in our plan to combat the disease of addiction in our community by providing residents with the life-saving medication and vital outpatient services,” Chief Ryan said. “I am proud to give our residents access to this new and innovative treatment option thanks to the partnerships we have forged with resources in and around the community.”

When interacting with residents struggling with addiction, Arlington Police and the department’s civilian clinician will refer residents who have completed detox or who have been clean for three days to Square Medical to obtain a Vivitrol dose. Group therapy and outpatient services will be available to community members as needed.

To ensure citizens can receive the Vivitrol shot every month, Arlington Police will provide taxi vouchers through Yellow Cab of Belmont to residents who require assistance getting to and from Watertown.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Arlington Police Department to expand services for their residents working to recover from opiate addiction,” Square Medical Founder Natalie Lender said. “We will work with each patient individually to not only provide them with Vivitrol, but to further their path to recovery as they overcome their addiction and move toward a healthier life.”

The Arlington Outreach Initiative was the second police-driven addiction treatment and recovery program created under the banner of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.)

About Square Medical Group
Square Medical Group works to treat each person with a tailored approach. Patients seek help in managing their long-term medical and mental health needs during and beyond addiction recovery. Square Medical views addiction as a long-term process that cannot be solved by a one-time trip to a detox facility. It takes months or sometimes years of steady healing through mental health coaching and management, as well as staying physically healthy, which is how physicians model their treatment programs.

About P.A.A.R.I.
The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) was started to support local police departments as they work with opioid addicts. Rather than arrest our way out of the problem of drug addiction, P.A.A.R.I. committed police departments:

• Encourage opioid drug users to seek recovery
• Help distribute life saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses
• Connect addicts with treatment programs and facilities
• Provide resources to other police departments and communities that want to do more to fight the opioid addiction epidemic

P.A.A.R.I. was created by Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello and John Rosenthal to bridge the gap between the police department and opioid addicts seeking recovery.

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