For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016

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

P.A.A.R.I. Welcomes Tito Rodriguez to the Role of Care Advocate and Outreach Specialist

GLOUCESTER — John Rosenthal, chairman of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), and P.A.A.R.I. Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade are pleased to announce that Tito Rodriguez has been hired to step into the role of Care Advocate and Outreach Specialist. Rodriguez will assist P.A.A.R.I. and its police department partners with creating and expanding recovery programs for Gloucester Angel Initiative participants and others struggling with the disease of addiction to achieve a life in long-term recovery.

Rodriguez started work on Oct. 17, and as the newest member of P.A.A.R.I., will work closely with the Gloucester Police ANGEL Initiative, collaborating with volunteers, communities, family members and treatment centers to build on the successful, nationally recognized program. He will also serve as a co-responder with the Gloucester Police Department by assisting with the intake process and coordination of long-term treatment and recovery for Angel Initiative participants.

For more than 40 years, Rodriguez has been involved with helping others access treatment for the disease of addiction. While at City College of New York in the 1970s, he established a drop-in center for Vietnam veterans struggling with addiction. Twenty years later, he co-founded Casa Esperanza, a bilingual, bicultural residential treatment home. This program first encompassed a 25-bed facility for men, but has now grown to include a program for women with children, a family center and a long-term sober living home. Most recently, Rodriguez worked with the City of Lynn as the police department’s Jail Diversion Coordinator, where he focused on outreach and providing treatment options to those struggling with addiction and substance abuse, as well as residents with mental health issues.

“I have always been involved with addiction services behind the scenes, and addiction has touched me on a professional and personal level,” Rodriguez said. “I have a passion for helping people, and as a resident of Cape Ann, I’m excited to work closely with the Gloucester Police ANGEL Initiative and our current and future P.A.A.R.I. partners.”

“Tito has tremendous relevant experience that will be a huge benefit to the Gloucester Police ANGEL Initiative and P.A.A.R.I. as a whole,” added Rosenthal. “We look forward to utilizing his expertise to assist program participants seeking treatment and long-term recovery, as well as Angel volunteers and the 160 and growing partner police departments across the country.”

Rodriguez will be based in Gloucester at the P.A.A.R.I. office and can be reached at tito@paariusa.org, or by calling him directly at (888) 9-PAARI-9 ex. 703.

About the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.):
P.A.A.R.I. police departments share a common mission: encourage opioid drug users to seek recovery, help distribute life saving opioid blocking drugs to prevent and treat overdoses, connect those struggling with the disease of addiction with treatment programs and facilities and provide resources to other police departments and communities that want to do more to fight the opioid epidemic.

In just over a year, P.A.A.R.I. has grown into a network of more than 150 police departments across the country and over 200 treatment centers to secure fully-funded scholarships for participants with or without insurance. P.A.A.R.I. is an independent nonprofit organization that supports law enforcement agencies in setting up, communicating and running their own addiction and recovery programs. The police departments, sheriffs offices, and prosecutors who have partnered with P.A.A.R.I. interact directly with members of the public and those seeking treatment, recovery, and resources.  Learn more at paariusa.org.

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