NORWAY — The HILLS Recovery Center on Tannery Street in Norway celebrated its one-year anniversary last week with the best possible news from Augusta: the very last bill passed during Maine’s 131st legislative session provides $2 million in annual funding that will keep Maine’s 20 recovery organizations operating for the foreseeable future.
LD 1714 was pushed through at the last minute in a bipartisan vote that came at 3 a.m. April 18. And if not for state Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford, the bill could have been one of more than 200 that went unfunded as the legislative session expired April 18.
State Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford speaks at WMARI’s opening ceremony for The HILLS Recovery Center April 23, 2023. Nicole Carter / Advertiser Democrat
Bennett of Oxford was determined to make sure recovery centers across the state are able to operate securely and effectively. As Maine’s House and Senate worked from Wednesday into the middle of the night he spoke on the senate floor, imploring Republicans and Democrats to find compromise to fund the bill from cannabis revenues.
With passage of the bill, 12% of the sales tax and excise tax revenue collected on the sale of adult use cannabis and products will be earmarked for community recovery centers.
“Maine communities need more resources for treatment and prevention,” Bennett told the Advertiser Democrat during a phone interview last week. “Statewide there are now 20 recovery centers. Up until now they have relied on one-time grants for maybe $50,000 at a time” as well as private and business donations.
In western Maine, The HILLS Recovery Center opened a year ago with the help of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) Implementation IV Grant, which will end on August 31, 2025; a grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF), which expires this November; and smaller foundation grants and donations.
“I honestly believe (the bill) wouldn’t have made it through without Sen. Bennett’s support,” Kari Taylor, director of the Western Maine Addiction Recovery Initiative (WMARI) and The HILLS Recovery Center. “WMARI employs three staff members, all of whom are currently full-time. We have one peer support specialist, one employee who works 50/50 as a peer support specialist and administrative coordinator; and one director/data coordinator.
“We operate on an annual budget of under 175,000. Every dollar is stretched to its limit as we strive to maintain and expand our life-saving services.”
Bennett has been an active supporter of WMARI since it was founded nine years ago, and its opening of The Hills.
Addressing his colleagues April 18, Bennett said that with the appropriations and tax committees supporting LD 1714 as a high priority it would be an unfortunate ending to the 131st session if they did not fund it.
“Some representatives did not want to allow any amendments at that point,” Bennett told the newspaper. “The 10 ahead of LD 1714 proposed for amendment all failed. I did not want the last act of the session to be killing a bill that can save and help change people’s lives. It was an emotional moment for me.
“Community is the cure for SUD. The community helps anchor those in recovery. It would have been a grievous error to not see this done.”
Taylor shared that since its opening one year ago, The HILLS has had 487 encounters with community members seeking support services. Consultations include education on health and nutrition, recovery-specific support and social support.
She said, “of the 487 encounters, the most prominent referrals made are inpatient treatment, recovery housing, and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT). Other referrals include clothing and food support, faith-based support, syringe exchange, and SUD counseling.
“After ensuring that [going forward] we can sustain the current level of support, we are prioritizing expanding our open hours to include evenings and weekends.
“The most important thing of all is that people who are struggling with addiction, or new to recovery in our community, discover that they matter—The HILLS is a place for them to land when life is overwhelming and may seem hopeless. I see every day that recovery is possible. It takes all of us to make a difference, and we are, in fact, making a difference.”
Taylor, who is herself in SUD recovery, said she believes “it’s possible that I wouldn’t be here today without a community that supports recovery. I needed other people to believe in me when I couldn’t believe that recovery was possible for someone like me. That’s why I make it my mission to help others. I want them to experience what it feels like to be free of addiction.”
LD 1714 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate vote was 31 in favor with one opposed. In the House, 99 legislators voted for the bill with 39 voting against.
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