AUGUSTA (AP) — A Maine lawmaker is proposing the creation of a statewide system of peer recovery centers to help grapple with the opioid addiction problem.

State Sen. Geoff Gratwick has put in a request for permission to introduce the bill. He says Wednesday it would establish “hubs for peer recovery” in the areas of Augusta, Bangor, Lewiston, Rockland and Waterville.

Maine’s overdose deaths increased by more than a third last year to a record high of more than 370. Opioids caused the most deaths.

Gratwick’s a retired physician and Bangor Democrat. He says peer support is a model that helps people stay in recovery, avoid relapsing and get their lives back in order after battling addiction. He says the state has seen success with peer-led systems for people with mental health illnesses.

Comments are not available on this story.