Surviving an overdose and warm handoff to treatment are essential first steps in recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD). Begun in 2020, the Overdose Prevention Through Intensive Outreach Naloxone and Safety (OPTIONS) initiative uses mobile response teams in all Maine counties to reverse overdoses and connect those with OUD to treatment and harm reduction services.

Teams are staffed by licensed behavioral health clinicians ("liaisons") who are supported by first responders such as emergency medical services (EMS) workers and law enforcement personnel. Liaisons are prepared to provide counseling, referrals to treatment, and access to harm reduction services such as syringe exchanges and naloxone distribution programs. Priority target populations include groups at high risk for overdose, such as those experiencing homelessness, those recently released from incarceration, and those who have dropped out of treatment.

The OPTIONS website provides informational resources on safe drug use practices to prevent overdose; contact information for each county's treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services; Covid-19 related advisories; and guidance on how families and friends can assist those with OUD in recovery. A press release gives an overview of the program's rationale and objectives, and a recent program evaluation describes how OPTIONS was implemented and assess lessons learned from the first year of program's operation.