Last year was the first time in five years that Maine recorded an annual decrease in fatal overdoses.
But at Gov. Janet Mills' sixth annual opioid response summit in Auburn Thursday, health providers and law enforcement vowed to do more to support prevention, treatment and recovery.
Fatal overdoses declined 16% last year in Maine. And according to preliminary data, overdose deaths dropped by nearly 15% during the first seven months of this year.
Still, Mills acknowledged that many Mainers are struggling to access help when they need it.
"I know there's a perception, reinforced over the past few decades, an accurate one, that there are only a few beds available in Maine for treatment," Mills said. "That has been the case in the past. But things are changing."
The state added nearly 70 new treatment beds over the last year.
Sarah Squirrell, director of Maine's Office of Behavioral Health, said a number of other relatively new state initiatives are playing a role, including a crisis receiving center that opened in Portland two years ago.
Nearly half of those who have been evaluated at the center have met criteria for substance use disorder.
"Individuals have same-day access to Suboxone, peer support and connection to recovery resources," she said. "They've served over 1,600 individuals, preventing unnecessary ER visits, unnecessary law enforcement intervention, and just better serving people in crisis."
Plans are in the works to establish additional centers in Aroostook, Penobscot and Androscoggin Counties.
That's all good news, Mills said, but she urged health providers and recovery advocates not to be complacent.
Maine Drug Enforcement agents seized more than 19 pounds of suspected fentanyl so far this year. And Mills said she's concerned about a troubling rise in the number of cases involving xylazine, a veterinary sedation drug. More than 17% of fentanyl overdose deaths this year in Maine have involved the drug. There are currently no known reversal medications for xylazine.
