Sponsored
If cost has kept you from getting help in central Maine, three programs are about to have more capacity.
Augusta city councilors approved $175,000 in opioid settlement grants last week, money that expands free and low-cost addiction treatment in Maine through outreach, day services, and a new withdrawal management facility.
The funds come out of the roughly $230 million Maine will receive over 18 years from litigation against prescription drug manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Augusta has received around $1 million so far.
What the Settlement Money Is Paying For
The largest share goes to the United Community Living Center, a low-barrier daytime support center on Spruce Street serving people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, and substance use disorder.
The center received $50,000 to add a commercial kitchen, shower facilities, and additional restrooms.
A second grant of $25,000 expands the center’s outreach program from two days a week to three.
That program hands out overdose prevention tools, drug testing supplies, basic necessities, and first aid and wound care, and connects people to higher levels of treatment when they want it. It is expected to serve around 250 people.
The HFGC Recovery Network, which provides outpatient treatment, received $50,000 for renovations and staffing at a new medically monitored withdrawal management facility in an existing building. The project anticipates serving 500 to 650 people during the grant period.
The Augusta Teen Center Boys and Girls Club received $50,000 to fund a community coordinator focused on opioid prevention, harm reduction, and early intervention for young people.
That position will also coordinate referrals to family-centered treatment and recovery services.
Each proposal was reviewed by a task force that makes funding recommendations to the City Council. Proposals from Zysk Recovery Partners and AccessDirect Recovery Network were not funded because of concerns about the applications and proposed projects.
Who Qualifies for These Services
Low-barrier programs like the United Community Living Center are built to remove the usual screening hurdles.
You generally do not need insurance, an appointment, or a period of abstinence to walk in and use drop-in services, get supplies, or ask about treatment.
Medically monitored withdrawal management is a clinical service, so eligibility and cost there work differently.
Ask directly about what the program charges, whether it bills MaineCare, which is Maine’s Medicaid program, and what happens if you are uninsured.
The council also voted 5-3 at the same meeting to adopt a 180-day moratorium pausing new or expanded needle exchange programs in the city, and several members of the public spoke against harm reduction programs during the meeting. That pause does not affect the three grants described above.
How to Access These Resources
Start by calling the program directly and asking three questions. What does this cost me, what do I need to bring, and how soon can I be seen. Low-barrier day centers can usually answer all three in one phone call.
If you are uninsured, check MaineCare eligibility before you assume you cannot afford care. Medicaid is the single largest payer for addiction treatment in the country, and coverage often eliminates out-of-pocket cost for detox, outpatient care, and medication for opioid use disorder entirely.
The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 is free, confidential, and staffed 24 hours a day. It can refer you to state-funded and sliding-scale programs in your area whether or not you have insurance.
Paying for Addiction Treatment Without Insurance
Settlement-funded programs are one piece of a larger safety net that most people never hear about.
State substance use block grant dollars fund treatment slots at facilities that are required to serve people regardless of ability to pay.
Many programs use sliding-scale fees based on income. Some offer scholarships. None of this is automatic.
You usually have to ask, and you usually have to ask more than once. But the money exists, and cost is a poorer reason to stay out of treatment than most people believe.
Finding Free and Low-Cost Rehabs in Maine
Search programs by what they accept rather than by what they advertise. Filter for MaineCare, sliding scale, and state-funded options.
Ask whether a waitlist exists and what interim support is available while you wait, because that gap is where a lot of people fall away.
Rehabs.org lists free and low-cost treatment options nationwide, including programs that accept Medicaid and Medicare, sliding-scale clinics, and harm reduction services, so you can find affordable care near you and take the next step. Call
800-914-7089
(
Sponsored)
to speak with a treatment specialist today.
More Articles Like This
