Joseph Solomon, Chief of Police
Quinn Public Safety Building
90 Hampshire St.
Methuen, MA 01844
For Immediate Release
Monday, Oct. 30, 2017
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Methuen Police Department Receives AmeriCorps Grant from P.A.A.R.I. To Combat Opioid Addiction
METHUEN — Chief Joseph Solomon is pleased to announce that the Methuen Police Department has received an AmeriCorps grant from the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) to bring on a part-time recovery coach to increase the department’s capacity to addiction and recovery program
This groundbreaking new statewide program, which launched earlier this month, will combine the power of service with the power of the recovery community and the power of police-based referral programs, placing 25 AmeriCorps members in host police department sites across Massachusetts.
P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps members will build the capacity of law enforcement programs and assist those suffering from substance use disorders by connecting them to treatment and recovery services that divert them from the criminal justice system. Methuen is one of several police departments selected to receive an AmeriCorps grant from P.A.A.R.I. to bring on AmeriCorps members to prevent overdose deaths and provide vital resources to community members with substance use disorders.
“This is an invaluable opportunity for us to have an additional resource to draw from as we work to fight the opioid epidemic on a local level by providing essential services to our residents,” Chief Solomon said. “We’re acutely aware of the need for tightly focused attention on this issue, and we’re eager to bring someone on board who can provide concentrated, hands-on support for people who are working toward recovery.”
P.A.A.R.I. received a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Service Alliance and the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch this first-of-its-kind program that will place 25 AmeriCorps members into service at host police department sites across Massachusetts, assisting with local police-led addiction and recovery programs in light of the growing opioid epidemic.
“P.A.A.R.I.’s mission is to provide resources to help law enforcement agencies combat the opioid epidemic and this innovative program will add significant capacity to our law enforcement partners and utilize service as a solution to address critical community needs,” said P.A.A.R.I. Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade. “We are thrilled to be working with the Methuen Police to provide an essential resource that will ultimately help those most in need in their community.”
The Methuen Police Department is actively looking to add a recovery coach to its team, and Chief Solomon urges anyone who may be interested in the roles to apply through P.A.A.R.I. at paariusa.org/contact-us/americorps/.
About AmeriCorps:
AmeriCorps is a civil society program that engages adults in public service work with a goal of helping others and meeting critical needs in the community. Members commit to full-time or part-time positions offered by a network of nonprofit community organizations and public agencies to fulfill assignments in the fields of education, public safety, healthcare, and environmental protection. There are more than 75,000 Americans in service each year.
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 320 law enforcement programs in 31 states, distributed 10,000 4mg doses of life-saving nasal naloxone, and helped over 12,000 people into treatment.
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