PAARI leaders concerned about Obamacare repeal

Jan. 27--More than 100 law enforcement officials, including the Gloucester police lieutenant now coordinating the department's angel program, have signed on to a letter sent by the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative urging members of Congress to stand by projects like PAARI in the fight against heroin and other opioid addictions.

The letter, sent by Gloucester resident and PAARI co-founder John Rosenthal to each member of the U.S. House and Senate, comes as President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders have stepped up efforts to repeal aspects of the Affordable Care Act put in place under the Obama administration.

"Are we worried? Absolutely," said Rosenthal, who co-founded PAARI in Gloucester in June 2015 along with former Gloucester police Chief Leonard Campanello.

"There are threats to repeal the ACA," he noted in a phone interview Thursday, "and if an alternative that the Republicans come up with is a lesser insurance plan -- with fewer benefits that include addiction treatment coverage -- then two things are going to happen. People are going to die, and/or families are going to go broke."

The PAARI organization remains based in Gloucester, with offices here and in Newton, and provides both financial and networking for a program that includes more than 200 police departments and 300 other treatment centers in 30 states. The nonprofit was launched almost a month after Campanello rolled out the Gloucester police angel program, which encourages addicts to come to the police station without fear of arrest and then be steered by police or a volunteer "angel" into a treatment facility.

PAARI's treatment centers have agreed to provide "scholarships" to cover patients who enter treatment facilities with no or insufficient insurance. But a revamping or repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which has provided health care access to many who did not previously have coverage, could leave many who need addiction treatment back out in the cold, Rosenthal said.

"The opioid epidemic affects every community in this nation, and increasing access to treatment is a bipartisan issue and must be at the forefront of Congress's agenda," Rosenthal said in a prepared statement. "A loss of health care and affordable health insurance will have devastating consequences for millions of Americans suffering with the disease of addiction.

"We strongly urge Congress to stand with PAARI and our more than 200 law enforcement partners across the country by recognizing addiction as a disease and refraining from making changes that will prevent people in need from getting life-saving treatment."

The letter is signed first by members of PAARI's leadership council of chiefs, headed by Arlington police Chief Frederick Ryan and Methuen Chief Joseph Solomon, both of whose departments and communities were among the first to become part of the PAARI network.

The list of signees also includes Gloucester police Lt. David Quinn, who now coordinates the department's role in taking in patients through the police station and having officers or volunteer "angels" facilitate their placement in treatment and recovery programs.

In the letter, the law enforcement officials all cite strides made in the fight against heroin and other opioid addictions since the launch of the Gloucester-based initiatives.

"As the Congress considers changes to the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and other federal health programs, I urge you to work against any proposals that will make it harder for individuals with mental illness and substance abuse disorders to access treatment," the letter reads.

"The Affordable Care Act made parity for mental health and addiction treatment a requirement for all public and private insurance plans," it continues. "If that requirement is not maintained, many people with mental illness and.or addiction in our communities will not be able to get treatment."

Staff writer Ray Lamont can be reached at 978-675-2705, or via email at [email protected].

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