By KATY SAVAGE
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CLAREMONT — Police Chief Mark Chase said Wednesday treatment for those suffering from drug abuse is severely lacking in the city.
He was not alone, as other officials agreed more needs to be done as the opioid epidemic and other drug-related problems continue to mount.
Officials hope a $333,000 federal grant that was just awarded to New Hampshire for more drug treatment and prevention will start to meet some of those needs.
Despite the state’s investment of $20 million in addiction services, availability is still not meeting demand.
Those who want help can’t get it because the wait time is too long, the drive is too far or there is nothing available.
HOPE for New Hampshire Recovery, the sole peer support center for addicts, closed due to financial struggles last month. The center saw more than 1,000 people in 2017 and had nearly 250 active clients at the time it shut down.
The same week it closed, Claremont officials scrambled to secure funds to establish a new center.
Claremont City Manager Ryan McNutt said having such a program in Claremont and in other municipalities is critical.
“(Those suffering drug abuse) have the best chance of recovery when they go through it together,” he said.
As police are seeing drug addiction rise, the need for support is at an all-time high throughout the state.
“There are capacity issues,” New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Jake Leon said. “There’s a variety of access issues that we’re trying to overcome.”
The $333,000 New Hampshire grant is directed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration — an agency within the U.S. Department of Health Services. New Hampshire was one of three states chosen. Massachusetts and West Virginia were also awarded one-year grants of $333,000.
How the federal money will be spent has yet to be determined, according to Leon. Though the money isn’t significant, he said it will help expand service hours and create more treatment programs in existing Safe Stations in Nashua and Manchester.
One of the goals of the funding, Leon said, is to build relationships with critical-care providers within every region of the state so people don’t have to leave their towns to find help.
“Our hope is that we can do more of that strategic targeted support,” he said.
The need for addiction services is high in both Vermont and New Hampshire.
“There’s not a week that goes by that we’re not making a heroin arrest of some sort,” Springfield, Vermont Police Chief Doug Johnston said.
The wait time for those in need of treatment is also an issue in both states.
“When somebody’s ready for treatment they want to go then,” Johnston said. “If they have to wait a couple days, weeks to get into a treatment, they start to get into something else.”
Johnston said the drug problem will get worse before it gets better.
He anticipated synthetic fentanyl — a more potent and more deadly type of heroin — would make its way to Springfield soon.
“We haven’t seen that yet but it’s coming,” Johnston said.
Meanwhile, a group of health care providers in the Springfield area is conducting a survey to understand the needs for services.
Tom Dougherty, Springfield Medical Care Systems Blueprint Project manager, said barriers could exist if treatment centers are too far from where a person lives.
“If your life is not stable, it’s a challenge to (drive long distances),” Dougherty said.
News of the federal grant came the same day President Donald Trump visited New Hampshire to deliver a speech on the opioid epidemic.
Rep. Annie Kuster, N.H.-02, who wrote a letter of support, said the money will help but more work is needed to be done.
“I’ll continue advocating on behalf of Granite Staters to ensure HHS, SAMHSA and the Trump administration target resources to New Hampshire so we can support innovative and successful programs that will help build a better future for families and communities in our state,” Kuster said in a statement.
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