P.A.A.R.I. Partners with 19 Maine and Massachusetts Police Departments for One2One Program

BOSTON — Executive Director Allie Hunter and Co-Founder and Board Chair John Rosenthal are pleased to announce 19 police departments in Massachusetts and Maine have been chosen to participate in the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative’s (P.A.A.R.I.) One2One: Engagement to Recovery program.

Piloted in the spring and summer of 2020, the One2One: Engagement to Recovery program empowers police officers and community partners to distribute fentanyl test strip (FTS) kits to those in need, as well as provide referrals to treatment and information about other resources available to those who use drugs and their loved ones. One2One is a pilot-tested, evidence-based, police-led intervention project across Massachusetts and Maine that seeks to increase engagement in substance use related services and supports among people using stimulants and opioids who are at risk of fatal overdose. During the pilot program, which was funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, every one fentanyl test strip kit that was distributed led to one referral to treatment or other services.

The initiative is in partnership with research partners Brandeis University and funded by Washington/Baltimore HIDTA, the University of Baltimore and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Combating Opioid Overdose funded through Community-Level Intervention (COOCLI) program. Participating departments were trained on Feb. 26 and began program implementation on March 1.

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