Insurers Help Gloucester Police With Heroin Addict Program

GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Health insurers in Massachusetts are pitching in to help the Gloucester Police Department with their well-known program to get heroin addicts into treatment.

Under a pilot program launching Monday, members of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans will help addicts navigate their long-term treatment options the moment they walk through the police station doors.

Health insurance companies will be making sure each addict has a comprehensive treatment plan in place once they complete detox. They'll also collect data to track each addict's progress and assess the impact of the program.

Police in the northern Massachusetts city have garnered attention for a policy of helping addicts get into treatment rather than arresting them. Since the program launched in June, the department says it's helped get over 300 addicts into treatment.

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