Arlington Police to Host Meeting on Vivitrol Jan. 26th
Chief Frederick Ryan announces that the Arlington Police Department will host an Arlington Community Training and Support (Arlington A.C.T.S.) meeting on Vivitrol next week and invites opioid users and their family and friends to attend.
Vivitrol is the first and only once-monthly, nonaddictive, nonnarcotic medication proven to prevent relapse following detoxification.
The event will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 7-8 p.m. at Whittemore-Robbins House, 670R Massachusetts Ave.
Free doses of Narcan, along with training on how to administer it, will be available. Katherine Gorham from Square Medical Group of Watertown will also be in attendance as the guest speaker for the night.
“This is a great opportunity for residents who are struggling with addiction and looking to recover to learn about the life-saving drug Vivitrol that has been proven to prevent relapses,” Chief Ryan said. “We’re grateful that our partnership with Square Medical has allowed us to bring Ms. Gorham, who has direct experience with Vivitrol and treating individuals with opioid addiction, to this event.”
Gorham is board-certified Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. As a member of Square Medical Group she works in both Weymouth and Watertown as a nurse practitioner. At the Weymouth location, she runs two Suboxone groups. She also treats individuals with a range of mental health and/or addiction issues in collaboration with the primary care providers to ensure patients receive appropriate treatment with psychotropic medication. In the Watertown location, Gorham is involved in the process to create a comprehensive Vivitrol treatment program.
Previously, Gorham worked at a private practice in Salem, Mass. as a counselor and nurse practitioner interacting almost exclusively with individuals struggling with addiction. Alongside the late Dezra L. Kenney, a pioneer in the field of addiction for more than 20 years, she utilized a 12-step model, as well as individual and group therapy, medication management and Vivitrol to help patients achieve and maintain sobriety.
Arlington A.C.T.S. is a major component of The Arlington Outreach Initiative, the police department’s drug addiction program, and is geared toward providing support, information, and strategies for opioid users and their loved ones.
For more details on the Arlington A.C.T.S. meeting, visit the police department online.
The Arlington Outreach Initiative is inspired by the Gloucester Police Department ANGEL Initiative, created by Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello. Gloucester’s Initiative allows people who suffer from addiction to turn over their remaining drug supply and paraphernalia to the Gloucester Police Department without the threat of arrest and then fast-tracks the participant into a treatment center.
– Submitted by the Arlington Police Department