P.A.A.R.I.

Salt Lake City Police Department Partners With P.A.A.R.I. to Fight Opioid Addiction

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For Immediate Release
Thursday, March 8, 2018

 

 

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

Salt Lake City Police Department Partners With P.A.A.R.I. to Fight Opioid Addiction

SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown, Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) Co-Chairs John Rosenthal and Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan, and P.A.A.R.I. Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade are pleased to announce that the Salt Lake City Police Department has partnered with P.A.A.R.I. to better serve individuals and families impacted by the opioid epidemic.

The Salt Lake City Police Department and P.A.A.R.I. formally began their partnership in late 2017, bolstering the ongoing efforts of Operation Diversion — a partnership between Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City.

Since October 2016, Operation Diversion has helped place 246 individuals into treatment.

“The Salt Lake City Police Department is excited to join P.A.A.R.I. because we have been facing an opioid crisis in our community for the last several years and our officers respond to multiple overdoses on a daily basis,” Chief Brown said. “We know that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem and we believe that working with P.A.A.R.I. will help us actively contribute to finding a sustainable solution to this crisis.”

Through its partnership with P.A.A.R.I., the Salt Lake City Police Department will open its doors to those suffering from addiction — and their families — by referring them to treatment and recovery options in lieu of arrest and prosecution.

To help accomplish their goal of directing those actively seeking help to the most appropriate resources, Salt Lake City Police have enlisted the help of eight social workers who coordinate directly with those battling substance use disorders to support their recovery efforts.

Hunter McDade will be making a site visit in Salt Lake City this week and will be collaborating with officers on a presentation at Utah Valley University’s conference on addiction on Friday.

“The Salt Lake City Police Department has shown a deep commitment to helping those impacted by the opioid epidemic overcome substance abuse and rebuild their lives,” Hunter McDade said. “I’m eager to work hand-in-hand with the department and their local partners to build upon that foundation and make lifesaving recovery resources more accessible.”

About P.A.A.R.I.:

The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to help law enforcement agencies establish pre-arrest programs that create immediate and stigma-free entry points to treatment and recovery programs.

P.A.A.R.I. works across sectors to provide training, coaching and support; program models, policies and procedures and templates; seed grants; connections to more than 300 vetted treatment centers; a network of like-minded law enforcement agencies; a unified voice with media and legislators; and capacity building through AmeriCorps.

P.A.A.R.I. is free to join and open to any law enforcement agency that believes in treatment over arrest and views addiction as a disease, not a crime. Since June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has launched more than 375 law enforcement programs in 32 states, distributed 10,000 4mg doses of life-saving nasal naloxone and helped more than 12,000 people into treatment.

 

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Highland, Ind. Police Department Partners With P.A.A.R.I. to Renew its Approach to Addiction

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For Immediate Release
Monday, Jan. 22, 2018

 

 

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

Highland, Ind. Police Department Partners With P.A.A.R.I. to Renew its Approach to Addiction

HIGHLAND, Ind. — Highland Police Chief Peter Hojnicki and Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) co-chairs John Rosenthal and Frederick Ryan and Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade are pleased to announce that the Highland Police Department has partnered with P.A.A.R.I. to better serve individuals and families impacted by the opioid epidemic.

The Highland Police Department and P.A.A.R.I. formally began their partnership last July and, in the months since, Detective Brian Stanley has worked to forge strong partnerships with area recovery groups that have proved instrumental in the program’s early success.

Detective Stanley and his department first learned of the initiative last year after reading about the neighboring Griffith Police Department’s membership in a Northwest Indiana Times story.

Upon reading about it, he knew that a renewed approach was something that Highland Police needed to pursue, as it could make a lifesaving difference for the Highland community.

“We understand that this is an epidemic that is plaguing our community, and that we need to become further engaged and do more to meet the challenge,” Detective Stanley said. “The goal is to proactively seek out those individuals and families that could benefit from a changed approach to let them know that we are here to help them and — just as importantly — we want to help them.”

Through its partnership with P.A.A.R.I., the Highland Police Department will open its doors to those suffering from addiction, and their families, by referring them to treatment and recovery options in lieu of arrest and prosecution.

“As law enforcement officers, we realize that we cannot arrest our way out of this opioid epidemic,” Highland Police Commander John Banasiak said. “We’re committed to attacking this problem in another way, and we’re grateful for P.A.A.R.I. and the local organizations we’ve partnered with that have made that possible.”

Since partnering with P.A.A.R.I., Highland Police have built connections with several area recovery organizations to ease access to recovery options:

  • Edgewater Health of Gary
  • Recovery Works of Merrillville
  • Heartland Recovery of Lowell
  • Big Book Legacy Group of Griffith

“Recovery is a lifelong journey that begins by simply asking for help, and I am so glad that the Highland Police Department has made itself available as a resource for those ready to ask for help,” P.A.A.R.I. Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade said. “They have done tremendous work to build a strong recovery network in a very short period of time, and their efforts will no doubt help save lives in their community.”

Highland Police responded to 36 overdoses in 2017 and administered the overdose reversal drug naloxone in 13 of those cases.

Since launching its recovery initiative, the Highland Police Department has placed a strong emphasis on proactive outreach to individuals they know could benefit from recovery resources and has so far directed two people into treatment.

About P.A.A.R.I.:

The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to help law enforcement agencies establish pre-arrest programs that create immediate and stigma-free entry points to treatment and recovery programs. P.A.A.R.I. works across sectors to provide training, coaching, and support; program models, policies and procedures, and templates; seed grants; connections to over 300 vetted treatment centers; a network of like-minded law enforcement agencies; a unified voice with media and legislators; and capacity building through AmeriCorps. P.A.A.R.I. is free to join and open to any law enforcement agency that believes in treatment over arrest and views addiction as a disease not a crime. Since June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has launched more than 375 law enforcement programs in 32 states, distributed 10,000 4mg doses of life-saving nasal naloxone, and helped over 12,000 people into treatment.

 

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Burlington Police Department’s Enhanced Drug Recovery Program Yields Strong Early Results

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Burlington-MA-Police-Logo

Burlington Police Department
Michael R. Kent
Chief of Police
45 Center Street
Burlington, MA 01803
www.bpd.org

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018

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

Burlington Police Department’s Enhanced Drug Recovery Program Yields Strong Early Results

From left: Burlington Police Officer Robert Aloisi, AmeriCorps Recovery Coach Jackie Tayabji, AmeriCorps Program Director Margie Taylor and Burlington Police Capt. Gregory Skehan at the P.A.A.R.I. National Law Enforcement Summit (Courtesy Photo Burlington Police Department)

BURLINGTON — Just two months after enhancing its drug recovery efforts through its Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.)/AmeriCorps Unit, the Burlington Police Department is already reporting meaningful results.

Since Program Coordinator Margie Taylor and Recovery Coach Jackie Tayabji, two AmeriCorps members, joined the Burlington Police Department last fall, they have reached more than 53 individuals suffering from substance use disorder — or their family members — and linked each one with critical resources.

They’ve also placed an emphasis on supporting the loved ones of those battling addiction to ensure they have the help they need to overcome the challenges they face as a result of their family members’ drug use.

Together, Taylor and Tayabji comprise Burlington’s P.A.A.R.I./AmeriCorps Unit, which works closely with Burlington Police Officer Robert Aloisi to combat substance abuse disorders and the current nationwide opioid crisis on a local level.

Taylor and Tayabji’s early success with the program is due in large part to the strong partnership they have formed with the police department, as well as the broad support of the community at large and organizations that are committed to helping them accomplish their mission.

“Forging relationships within the community is essential, as there is always power in numbers, and we can accomplish so much more when the all of the stakeholders are addressing this issue together,” Taylor said. “We have already seen how these relationships have opened the lines of communication among numerous stakeholders.”

Several organizations have proven integral to the recovery team’s efforts, including the Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Overcoming Addiction, the Board of Selectmen, Council on Aging, Rotary Club, Burlington Schools, Learn to Cope, Lahey Health and the Town Administrators office.

The recovery team has directed eight people into treatment, though their work does not end when a person enters a recovery program.

“Our goal as recovery coaches is to be a support system for the person pursuing treatment through their entire continuum of care,” Taylor said. “We want to provide support for the individual from the very start and help guide them along their journey so we can assist them with tackling any issues or barriers that could prevent a smooth path to recovery.”

The mission of the Burlington Police P.A.A.R.I./AmeriCorps Unit was bolstered early on by the entire team’s participation at P.A.A.R.I.’s inaugural National Law Enforcement Summit. While there, they gave their own presentation and learned from hundreds of law enforcement and healthcare executives and professionals from all over the country. The event took place over a two day period at Boston University and featured numerous presenters and speakers, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III.

Taylor and Tayabji’s contributions to the Burlington Police Department have been made possible by an AmeriCorps grant administered through P.A.A.R.I.

“We’re excited about the potential this program holds in allowing us to approach this significant issue from a new angle,” Chief Michael Kent said. “Jackie and Margie have already made tremendous inroads within our community and I couldn’t be happier about the impact they’re having on those in need.”

The Burlington community has bought into the work the recovery unit is doing, and has significantly eased the work of building essential partnerships that have helped the program thrive in a short period of time.

“We have had the full support of the entire community and have been welcomed with open arms,” Tayabji said. “We could not be successful without the backing and collaboration we have received from our Burlington Police partners, and we’re grateful for their commitment to making a difference and helping those struggling with substance abuse issues.”

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Littleton Police Department Takes Multiple Steps to Combat Opioid Addiction

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Littleton Police

Littleton Police Department
Matthew J. King, Chief of Police
500 Great Road,
Littleton, MA 01460

For Immediate Release

Friday, Dec. 22, 2017

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

Littleton Police Department Takes Multiple Steps to Combat Opioid Addiction

LITTLETON — Chief Matthew J. King announces that the Littleton Police Department, along with its law enforcement partners in the Northwest Middlesex Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN), has taken multiple steps to continue its efforts to combat the opioid epidemic locally.

Earlier this month, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Patterson attended the groundbreaking two-day National Law Enforcement Summit, which brought together police leaders and recovery advocates from around the nation for a broad-ranging discussion on police-led efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

The summit, hosted by the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, included panel discussions featuring law enforcement agencies that have reinvented their approach to the opioid issue by treating it as a public health problem rather than a criminal one.

“We are constantly focused on finding new and creative ways to work together as a community to help those in need overcome addiction,” Chief King said. “These approaches are part of an evolving effort that relies heavily on collaboration among law enforcement, residents and recovery experts and I am proud of the work that’s been done to fight this epidemic.”

Littleton Police also recently trained one of its communication officers as a peer recovery coach. Officer Kelly Young will work with the newly formed Littleton Coalition Against Addiction (LCAA), which was launched by Littleton Selectman Cindy Napoli.

As part of the community-wide effort, LCAA will host award-winning journalist Ritchie Farrell, who will discuss his personal journey to recover from heroin addiction. His talk will be followed by a community forum. The event will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10 at the Littleton High School Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

COIN is a 10-town collaborative that works to take on the challenges associated with substance use disorders and mental health issues. The organization connects those suffering from substance abuse and mental health related illnesses with clinicians that can direct them toward recovery resources, and has recently added an outreach coordinator to its team in order to help those in need better connect with essential recovery resources.

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