Addiction, to both recreational and prescribed substances, has become an epidemic in our state. We are all impacted. Today we speak with family physician Dr.Mary Dowd, the medical director of the Detoxification Program at Milestone Foundation in Portland, about her experience treating addiction. We also speak with Kate Bowley, whose former husband died of an overdose after a work-related injury began his three-year struggle with addiction.
Guests
Dr. Mary Dowd
Dr. Mary Dowd was a family doctor in Yarmouth, Maine, until she started working in primary care for prisoners at the Cumberland County Jail, where the majority of the inmates suffered from substance use disorders. Motivated to help others, Dr. Dowd left her family practice, and in 2008 became the medical director of the Detoxification Program at Milestone Foundation in Portland. Dr. Dowd also works for Catholic Charities in its substance use treatment program and at Discovery House in South Portland, a methadone clinic. Beyond treating clients who are going through withdrawal, Dr. Dowd believes in listening to people’s stories, and helping them connect with treatment and develop strategies to improve their lives. Dr. Dowd is also a published poet who has penned several op-eds for the Portland Press Herald.
Katie Bowley
Kate Bowley lives in Kennebunkport with her 9-year-old daughter, Lila. In 2014 they lost Lila’s father to a three-year struggle with opiates after he became addicted following a work-related injury. Kate is raising Lila as a single mother and has worked as a sales manager for global brands for nearly 20 years after graduating from the University of Notre Dame. She is passionate about advocating for opiate reform in the state of Maine and the impact the epidemic has on families and the community at large.