UNE secures $1.6M grant to train medical students in rural Maine opioid treatment
To stream NCM on your phone, you need the NCM app. Example video title will go here for this video Example video title will go here for this video MAINE, Maine — Whiledrug overdose deaths in Mainehave decreased in recent years, experts say rural communities still need better access to medication-assisted treatment and recovery options for people with opioid use disorder.
A new federal grant will allowUniversity of New England health professions studentsand current health care providers across all of Maine’s rural counties to receive hands-on experience helping people struggling with addiction. Andrea Stemm grew up in Gorham and always wanted to work in medicine.
During her certified physician assistant training at theUniversity of New England School of Public and Planetary Health,she hoped to help patients outside the Greater Portland area. “I was drawn to rural medicine because there is a huge difference to be made,” Stemm said. As a family medicine PA atSacopee Valley Health Center,Stemm does physical exams, prescribes medicine, and counsels patients.
She works with doctors, nurses, and other staff. At UNE, she learned to recognize opioid disorders and address the stigma around addiction. “Any training in the academic setting can help reduce stigma and lead to prompt referrals to the medication-assisted treatment here,” Stemm explained.
Greg Griffin, also a certified family medicine PA at SVHC,grew up in Aroostook County and graduated from UNE. He believes this training should be the standard of care to help meet the need for opioid treatment, especially for patients in rural areas. “Almost every day we see patients that could benefit from a MAT program, so having that knowledge base of what to do, where to send the referral, and how to manage them and point them in the right direction,” Griffin said.
Over the next four years, UNE will use a $1.6 millionHealth Resources & Services Administrationgrant to expand workforce training for pharmacists, nurses, dentists, and providers treating opioid use disorder, marking SPPH’s first federal award. Devon Anne Sherwood, an associate professor inUNE’s School of Pharmacy, is the project’s director. “We are tactfully trying to incentivize those students to go to our rural areas,” Sherwood explained.
The initiative, called the Northern Border Rural Workforce, is designed to meet behavioral health needs in rural Maine, where the opioid crisis is especially acute. “Just being able to come in and having that conversation comfortably. We are looking at treating substance use disorder more like when you go in and get your vital signs from your primary care physician,” Sherwood said.
UNE is collaborating with more than two dozen rural hospitals and treatment centers, including those run by Maine Health, Northern Light Health, andAMHC community behavioral health care clinics in Aroostook, Hancock, and Washington counties. The two-track certification program will begin in August 2026.
Financial assistance will be offered to students relocating to rural areas to help offset costs. For more local stories continue with us on our NEWS CENTER Maine+ streaming app.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.