AUGUSTA — If there’s one thing that Mainers who read newspapers can count on every few weeks, it is an opinion from the Maine media that somehow state government is failing because it isn’t spending money quickly enough. The most recent effort is the Portland Press Herald’s May 26 editorial, “Our View: As addiction soars, Maine officials drag feet on response.”

It uses colorful language and accuses the Maine Department of Health and Human Services of moving too slowly to implement programs that help people in their battle with heroin and opioid addiction. This stance is highly reflective of the left-leaning media’s belief that unfettered spending solves every problem.

When it comes to building successful programs, we subscribe to the best practice of measuring twice before beginning construction. If we are not precise and do not create a strong framework, the program will fail to serve those who are most in need and will fall apart. Contrary to the editorial board’s opinion, we are moving these projects at an appropriate pace, but our focus is on achieving quality results rather than simply getting money out the door.

To be clear, the department has been successful in getting additional funding to outpatient service providers in areas of the state with the greatest need. We’ve also been able to begin the development of peer recovery centers in underserved areas of Maine with funding appropriated by the Legislature in the recent session.

The department remains committed to expanding residential treatment services, with a focus on pregnant women and women who have children under the age of 5. When the department put this project out to bid, two bids were received: One was incomplete, and the cost of the other far exceeded the funding appropriated by the Legislature. The department is about to release a new RFP for which additional funding will be available. This will allow the state to serve 216 women over the course of the six-year contract, as opposed to 132 in the previous proposal.

It is our belief that a good proposal is based on practices that are proven to work and that produce measurable and meaningful results at the appropriate cost. Our staff spends hours reviewing research-based evidence to determine the most effective services, how these services may tie into existing policy or regulatory requirements and many additional elements, including how we will measure performance. This does not and cannot happen overnight.

The new social detoxification facility that the Legislature funded offers a good illustration of the complexities of creating a proposal that will attract bidders and ensure the state will receive appropriate services at the right cost. This type of detox service is much different from medical detoxification, and no agency in Maine is currently offering this service.

Staff have reviewed existing case studies, evaluated the latest in best practices and completed thorough research to ensure the services offered provide the best chance at success. This is critically important with detoxification because the relapse rate is so high. The department is confident that our effort will yield quality proposals in return. We estimate that 730 individuals a year can be served by this 10-bed facility.

To say that the department is dragging its feet when it comes to addressing the heroin and opioid epidemic fails to recognize many things that have been done in the last year and our intense commitment to improving policies, practices and programs to confront this public health epidemic head-on.

We’ve created legislation that lowers the prescribing duration and strength of highly addictive opiates. The legislation also requires prescribers to check a patient’s prescription history through the Prescription Monitoring Program to avoid overprescribing or “doctor shopping.” We’ve worked with 2-1-1 Maine to develop a hotline for pregnant women to call if they need treatment, including a “warm handoff” to someone who can help right away, and we’ve created a pilot project to test Vivitrol to combat addiction.

While we work to launch additional residential treatment, a new social detoxification program and collaborate with the Judicial Branch on a drug court in Bangor, we continue to dedicate $20 million in funding to provide outpatient, intensive outpatient and prevention services to the uninsured battling addiction.

We recognize that combating the heroin and opioid epidemic takes a multi-faceted approach and can assure you that we’re working quickly and aggressively to tackle this pressing public health concern.