PORTLAND, Maine — To better address substance use recovery needs in the Portland area, nonprofit Milestone Recovery unveiled its new $3.1 million location Thursday.
At its main location on India Street, Milestone Recovery Executive Director Thomas Dougherty said the facility often has to turn away around 70 percent of people looking to receive treatment.
"This project is going to allow us to say 'yes' to a lot more of those people," Dougherty said.
Several state leaders and recovery experts, including Gov. Janet Mills, took a tour of the space made possible due to both federal, state, and donation funding.
The Mills Administration has made addressing the opioid crisis a priority, investing more than $6 million for an additional 90 treatment beds since Mills took office.
"We are providing not just an expansion of beds here, but a very strong message of hope," Mills said.
Maine Director of Opioid Response Gordon Smith said more beds and better staffing across the state are all steps toward getting to a place where any facility will be equipped to lend a hand to anyone recovering.
"We have to do better, and we are doing better than that, and so there'll be a lot of these openings over the next two years," Smith said. "That's the goal, same day. You are ready to start a journey to recovery, we are ready for you."
Milestone Recovery Nursing Team Lead Ashley Thomas said as a person in active recovery herself, being able to offer her patients everything they need in a welcoming space means the world.
"This space is what I envision treatment to look like," Thomas said. "It's really a huge leap for us."
The new location near the Portland International Jetport also allows the recovery center to establish a new, 150-person outpatient program, and is expected to open its doors in the upcoming days.