The Doorway is a good first step in providing help

To The Daily Sun,

The opioid crisis is in the news almost daily with heart-wrenching articles about the personal disasters it wreaks on its victims. I thought it would be good to highlight a little bit of what’s being done about it at the state level.

In January, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services introduced “The Doorway” which is an effort to identify treatment services for people seeking assistance. The Doorway established nine locations, called “Hubs”, including one in Laconia, It accesses treatment providers throughout the area, which are called the “spokes” of the wheel, by means of in-person intake through LRGHealthcare, and after-hours intake over the statewide 211 hotline.

Earlier this year I attended the rollout of the Doorway at LRGH. It was heartening to see about 100 people representing a great many service providers turn out on a weekday mid-afternoon. On Friday, May 10, the Fiscal Committee of the New Hampshire General Court received a report from Commissioner Meyers, showing that, in the first month of operation, the Doorway, statewide, served close to 470 people, either in-person or over the hotline.

While this program will no doubt experience growing pains and glitches as all new efforts to help do, it is a good first step in a statewide effort to focus efforts on serving the victims of addiction and giving hope to them and their families. 

David O. Huot

Laconia