The troubling issue of substance abuse in Westbrook drew some 70 people last week to the first public meeting of the city’s new drug initiative.

Dubbed CASH, for Community Approach to Stopping Heroin, the initiative was spearheaded by Westbrook Police Chief Janine Roberts and has enlisted more than 30 community partners to help combat the growing opiate problem. Roberts has said she began organizing the initiative following a spate of overdoses last summer.

After introductions from Roberts and substance abuse professional Shelby Bragg of Westbrook, which included statistics specific to Westbrook’s problem, participants at the Jan. 21 session were split into separate work groups.

The CASH initiative is broken up into three committees – prevention, intervention and enforcement. Each committee has begun to host separate monthly meetings.

Roberts said each work group Thursday was asked to answer the same set of questions, with police hoping the answers could heop shed light on the issue in Westbrook.

“We’re trying to generate a conversation about what you’ve heard that concerns you, and what we’re missing,” she said.

She added that the work group responses have not yet been reported.

Bragg, referring to the rash of recent overdoses said, “Here in Westbrook we don’t want one more person to die.”

Luckily, Roberts said, all eight overdose victims in July 2015 survived.

Bragg, who is in long-term recovery, thanked Westbrook police for starting the program.

“Its strategic, caring and thoughtful,” she said, echoing statements she made during a press conference announcing the program in December.

Roberts said the first meeting was attended by people in recovery, family members, recovery providers and many members of the initiative work groups, which demonstrates the comprehensive approach that can be built on.

The meeting was also attended by a number of city officials, including Mayor Colleen Hilton, City Administrator Jerre Bryant, Fire Chief Andrew Turcotte and Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse.

When forming the initiative, Roberts said, she enlisted the help of multiple community partners. These include businesses such as Unum and Acadia Insurance, and organizations like Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Opportunity Alliance. The list also includes state and local departments – the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services and more.

Gorham resident Barry Atwood said he attended the meeting to generate ideas toward a similar program in Gorham. He said planning is under way now.

“We were happy with it,” Roberts said about the first meeting. However, she noted that there is a lot of work to do.

She said one of the major challenges brought up by many initiative members is the lack of treatment options in Westbrook. Mercy Westbrook, on Park Road, closed its addiction recovery center last year and relocated to Portland.

Another factor that came from the meeting, she said, is that medical professionals should be added to the initiative, whether it is physicians or mental health specialists.

“It could be beneficial to get their perspective and expertise into our conversation,” she said.

Each committee within the initiative meets monthly. The next meeting is the prevention (education and awareness) committee, meeting on Feb. 11 in the Public Safety Building. The sessions are open to the public.

Staff reporter Robert Lowell also contributed to this story.

An estimated 70 people attended the first public meeting last week for Westbrook’s heroin abuse initiative, CASH, the Community Approach to Stopping Heroin.

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