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Tricia Tiedt

FRAMINGHAM – Chief Kenneth Ferguson is pleased to announce that the Framingham Police Department has partnered with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) to expand the department’s addiction recovery program, Framingham Compassionate Addiction Recovery Education Services (CARES).

Modeled after the Gloucester ANGEL Initiative, Arlington Outreach Initiative, and Watertown program, Framingham CARES seeks to reduce the number and frequency of opioid overdose deaths in Framingham.

“We are glad to partner with P.A.A.R.I. as we begin to model our diversion programs around our colleagues in Gloucester, Arlington and Watertown,” Chief Ferguson said. “It’s time to adjust our focus on mental health and substance abuse as we gain more resources to fight the stigma of addiction in our community.”

Collaborating with Advocates’ Jail Diversion Program, Framingham Police have embedded a full-time clinician in their department. Upon learning of an opioid related overdose, where Narcan was administered to save the person, the clinician will initiate contact with that individual and/or their family to offer immediate access to treatment and associated resources.

“Framingham CARES is another marvelous collaboration between the Framingham Police Department and Advocates,” said Dr. Chris Gordon, Medical Director and Senior Vice President of Clinical Services for Advocates. “It combines the very best of community policing with caring mental health professionals at the exact moment that people are most in need — and possibly the most receptive to services. This sort of creative partnership is exactly what we need to deal with the opiate crisis.”

Through its partnership with P.A.A.R.I., Framingham Police will have access to a large and growing network of drug detox and long-term treatment centers around the nation, which have agreed to support P.A.A.R.I. police partners in helping those in need receive the treatment they need.

Chief Campanello and John Rosenthal, co-founders of P.A.A.R.I., are pleased to welcome the Framingham Police Department to the growing list of law enforcement partners who have committed themselves to bridging the gap between police departments and those who suffer from the disease of addiction. They commend Chief Ferguson and his staff for taking the necessary steps to help those who are suffering from addiction and for working to change the way law enforcement handles this devastating disease.

Source: 
The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative