A new Opioid treatment center in Manchester could see its first client next month

MANCHESTER, Maine (WABI) - More than 10,000 overdoses were reported in the state last year, including 928 in December alone.

The Director of Opioid Response says this new facility is one step closer to making it easier to get treatment than drugs.

A ribbon cutting ceremony in Manchester celebrated the soon to be open Everest Recovery Center, their second location in the state.

“Every time we can put a treatment facility closer to where people are living, it is helpful,” Gordon Smith, Director of Opioid response said.

Governor Mills says the new facility will join Maine’s Opioid Home Health program, which provides increased reimbursement for a comprehensive set of services for opioid use disorder treatment.

“The highly lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl is responsible for 80 percent of all drug deaths, and now the growing presence of zymosan is making that situation even worse,” Mills said.

Peter Morris is the Co-Founder and CEO of Everest. He says they offer a multifaceted road to recovery.

“What we do is treat folks who are suffering from opioid use disorder. There’s three FDA approved medications, methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. We are going to offer all three or more methadone is the predominant one at this point.” Morris

Morris says he’s grateful for the support of the governor to help de-stigmatize drug related issues.

“Folks are dying and medication assisted treatment is evidence-based treatment that works. There’s a lot of stigma that’s around in the late 90s and early 2000s, and it’s needed to save lives and helps folks reengage with their families, reengage with their employment, and just be generally productive members of their society and their communities,” Morris said.

The facility could see its first client next month.

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