The Wareham Police Department, community members, High Point Treatment Center and Fight Back: Addiction and Mental Health Counseling have teamed up to form a new Wareham Community Outreach Program to provide resources and support to those struggling with addiction and their families.

The Wareham Police Department noted in a release that the addiction crisis has worsened during the pandemic, with overdoses nationally up 42 percent per month as compared to 2019. 

“The Wareham Police Department is committed to ‘Wake Up’ our great community in an epic fight to bridge the gap between substance use, support, treatment, and recovery by providing the highest quality of training and support on a community level for substance users and their families to fight any type of addiction,” read a press release.

The Community Outreach Program will host the grand opening of its new drop-in center on Monday, March 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Grace Lighthouse Church Hall at 3065 Cranberry Highway.

The event will include support, information, training, healthy strategies for substance users, and refreshments.

Nasal Naloxone, used to treat opioid overdoses, will be available for free, as will fentanyl testing strips and hygiene kits.

A medical professional will be on hand to teach people how to use Naloxone and fentanyl testing strips and to teach needle safety.

Bill Pimental, a recovery clinical case manager from the Gavin Foundation, will be in attendance to provide resources and advice, as will representatives from High Point, Wareham Fighting Addiction, and Fight Back. The drop-in center is designed to be a supportive, non-judgmental environment for substance users and their loved ones to develop plans to ensure survival and work toward recovery. The center will be confidential.

For more information, call Outreach Liaison Officer Steven Soqui at 508-932-0799 or Program Coordinator Lieutenant Walter Correira at 508-509-8890.