Governor Janet T. Mills (D) Appearing on a CNN Television Morning Show During the Governor’s Winter Conference in Washington, DC.

Governor Janet T. Mills (D), the first woman governor of Maine, announced this morning that 140 new residential treatment beds for substance use disorder (SUD) will be created across the state, an increase of nearly 40% supported by $6 million in funding awarded by her Administration.

The Maine Department of Health & Human Services office of Behavorial Health (OBH) has awarded funding to six providers for renovation, capitol and startup costs related to new or expanded beds for residential SUD treatment and medically supervised withdrawal (detoxification).  The projects are at various stages of developments, with morre than 70 new beds already online or coming online within weeks and the remainder expected to be online by the end of the year.

The combined $6 million in awards support the following projects:

SOUL SANCTUARY:  78 new beds across five locations in Portland; PINE TREE RECOVERY: 20 new beds in Portland; MILESTONE RECOVERY:  14 additional beds at a new facility in Portland; CATHOLIC CHARITIES: 12 new beds in Auburn; DAY ONE:  6 new beds in Windham;  WABANAKI PUBLIC HEALTH:  6 new beds in Bangor; AROOSTOOK MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES:  4 new beds in Presque Isle.

These projects significantly expand services that are critical to SUD recovery.  The new beds are in addition to the 387 licensed beds for substance use disorder and medically supervised withdrawal currently in operation.  Maine added more than 140 new beds from 2021 to 2022.  Altogether, more than 280 new beds have been created under the Mills Administration, more than doubling capacity – despite the challenges and increased demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic.