AUBURN — In a Congressional Town Hall meeting hosted by Maine 2nd District Congressman Bruce Poliquin, local experts on treatment of substance use disorders outlined steps in an effort called “Operation Community SAFER.”

“This is a painful issue,” Poliquin said. He said the program is aimed at “helping families who are trying to help someone in need.”

“There is no quick fix to this problem,” he said.

Poliquin, who is a founding member of the Congressional Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic, said there has been more effort to solve the heroin addiction problems in Maine in just two or three years than in the past 30 years.

He said he is definitely seeing signs that make him optimistic about getting the problem under control.

Leading off the speakers was Eddie Burgess, who spoke about his own experience in recovery.

“You have to have an open mind on treatment and recovery because relapse is a part of sobriety,” he told the attendees. He said bouts of domestic violence and bouts of mental illness are a couple the things that go along with substance use disorder.

Information of prevention and early intervention for families and communities was presented by Corrie Brown, substance abuse prevention manager for Healthy Androscoggin, and by Emily Dooling-Hamilton, health promotions coordinator for Substance Use and Tobacco for Healthy Androscoggin.

Their advice on countering theft of prescription medications from home medicine cabinets, most often by family members, was three-part:

• Keep track of the pills;

• Store them safely; and

• Bring old or no longer needed pills to community take-back locations.

Treatment options and treatment access was covered by Dr. Michael E. Kelley, director of emergency psychiatry at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.

He said substance use disorder is “one of the most common illnesses in medicine and it’s one of the most destructive.”

He said there is no one factor to blame for the current epidemic of heroin use and other substances. He talked about appropriate situations when medical assistance therapy may be used. It’s a therapy that’s difficult for laymen to understand, because it involves giving a patient a medicine that itself may be addictive, but under control, it is a means to managing an addiction.

The subject of alternatives to managing pain was covered by Anne Brown of St. Mary’s Integrative Medicine and Weight Management department. She said that integrative medicine is “healing-oriented.”

Brown emphasized the importance of talking with your doctor about pain management alternatives, and she said there are numerous approaches.

Auburn Police Chief Phillip Crowell summarized the efforts of law enforcement agencies to stop the flow of illegal drugs to Maine’s communities.

“We’re trying to put a stranglehold on the supply,” he said.

Representatives of seven area agencies spoke briefly about their services and also stayed after the meeting to talk with attendees. They were Marty O’Brien of Grace Street Recovery Services, Lewiston; Tom Farrington, St. Francis Recovery Center of Catholic Charities, Lewiston; Joanne Grant, director of residential services for Day One Youth Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Services, Hinckley; Jessica Abbott, Western Maine Addition Recovery Initiative, Oxford County; Elise Johansen, executive director of Safe Voices Domestic Violence Prevention and Victim Support Resources;; and Ross Hicks, harm reduction coordinator, Health Equity Alliance.

Matt Cashman, Western Maine District Task Force Supervisor Special Agent and a longtime Lewiston police officer, spoke about that agency’s efforts.

About 50 attendees took part in the meeting at Kirk Hall on the Central Maine Community College campus.

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