AUGUSTA, Maine — A new program is aimed at alerting Mainers when there are overdoses in communities so people can be aware and help loved ones.
"The same way you'd want to know if bad weather is coming, you would want to know if there is a spike in your community, so you can take action to protect yourself and your loved ones," said Kevin Collins, the director of family services at Partnership to End Addiction.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has teamed up with Partnership to End Addiction for the pilot program, which not only alerts you to those overdoses, but also provides resources.
Maine is the first state in the country to roll it out statewide.
"To us, it just made sense to have everybody possible to get this information that signs up for the spike alert," said Dr. Jessica Pollard, director of behavioral health at Maine DHHS.
People who want to sign up can text the word SPIKE to 855-963-5669.
First responders feed the information into the system, and when there is a spike in your community, you get a text.
Maine DHHS said since the program launched a few weeks ago, nearly 200 people have signed up and the state has issued five SPIKE Alerts.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with substance abuse -- you can find resources to get help on the Maine DHHS Office of Behavioral Health website.