PORTLAND, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) toured the Milestone Foundation addiction treatment facility in Portland as part of his ongoing effort to learn about and address the heroin and opioid epidemic confronting Maine and much of the country. During his visit, Senator King also discussed new legislation he plans to introduce that would help more people access critical treatment services by raising an arbitrary limit on the number of patient beds allowed in many addiction treatment and recovery facilities around the country, including the Milestone detoxification program.

“Milestone is on the front lines of our state’s fight against addiction, and the challenges they face tell us not only about the troubling realities of this epidemic, but also about what we must do to address them,” said Senator King. “A few years ago, less than five percent of Milestone’s patients were seeking treatment for heroin addiction. Today, that number is closer to fifty percent. But while the need has increased, the capacity has not because of outdated federal laws. Raising the limit on treatment beds is just one of many steps we can take to give Milestone and other treatment facilities the support they need to help more people.”

At Milestone today, Senator King toured the organization’s emergency substance abuse shelter and detox program with Executive Director Bob Fowler where he spoke with staff and patients in recovery about the challenges they face. Senator King discussed the outdated federal cap that limits Milestone’s detox program to just 16 treatment beds, and the need to raise that cap so more people can access the treatment services they need. During that conversation, Senator King highlighted a bill that he is currently working on in Congress to do just that.

Senator King’s legislation, which he will introduce in the coming weeks, will amend federal law to raise that cap to a higher number to be determined in the forthcoming legislation and provide treatment facilities like the detox program at Milestone with the flexibility needed to serve people with substance abuse disorders. By doing so, facilities across the country can improve access to treatment for those who desperately need it.

Today’s tour of the Milestone facility comes about a week after Senator King first announced his intent to introduce the legislation during a roundtable discussion at the Hope House treatment facility in Bangor. That roundtable was the third in an ongoing series of discussions that Senator King has convened to better understand and address the opioid crisis.

Senator King is also a cosponsor of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee that would encourage states and local communities to pursue a full array of proven strategies to combat addiction. He has also introduced an emergency supplemental funding bill with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) that would provide a total of $600 million in supplemental appropriations to address the heroin and opioid epidemic through programs at the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Founded in 1967, the Milestone Foundation provides drug and alcohol addiction treatment to adult men and women dealing with chronic substance use issues. Milestone has two facilities – one in Portland and another in Old Orchard Beach. The Portland facility is home to Milestone’s emergency shelter, detoxification program, homeless outreach and support services, and administrative offices. The emergency overnight shelter has 41 beds for homeless men, and is the only emergency shelter in Maine that admits individuals under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The 16-bed detox program is staffed 24-hours per day by nurses and overseen by a physician. The detox program, which runs between three and seven days, offers education, intervention, and various forms of counseling. The detox program’s 16 beds are all currently occupied.

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