December 2025

✨ Welcome

As we round out the year, we’re reminded just how much courage, compassion, and commitment live inside Washington County’s workplaces. December gives us a chance to look back with gratitude — for every conversation opened, every stigma challenged, every employee supported, and every workplace that said yes to being part of a healthier, more connected community.

This month’s newsletter focuses on winter wellbeing, practical resources, and a renewed commitment to making recovery and wellness part of everyday workplace culture.

This month, we’re shining a light on the Community Caring Collaborative, a long-standing leader in strengthening families, reducing barriers, and creating a Washington County where people can thrive at home, at work, and in community.

For nearly two decades, CCC has been at the heart of collaboration in our region. Their programs focus on family well-being, financial stability, trauma, poverty, and substance use-informed approaches, and wraparound supports that help people move from crisis toward stability and hope. Their leadership has shaped how Washington County comes together to support one another, which aligns beautifully with the values of the Recovery Friendly Workplace Network.

CCC’s work reminds us that strong communities don’t happen by accident. They grow through care, collaboration, and the belief that people do better when they feel supported and connected.

We are deeply grateful for CCC’s partnership and for the leadership they bring to the Recovery Friendly Workplace movement across Washington County.

As we enter the colder months — when people lean on workplaces, neighbors, and community more than ever — it’s a good time to remember Maine’s Good Samaritan Law. The law exists to make it easier to call for help and save a life during a suspected overdose.

What the law does

Maine’s Good Samaritan Law protects a person from arrest or prosecution for most non-violent offenses if the situation comes to light because they:

• call 911 if they see someone experiencing a drug-related overdose
• are experiencing an overdose themselves
• stay with the person and “render aid” until help arrives

Rendering aid includes monitoring the person, providing naloxone, and offering support.

The law does not protect violent crimes or serious offenses, but it does remove the fear that often prevents someone from calling for emergency help.

Why this matters

Studies show that Good Samaritan laws increase the likelihood that people will call 911 — and that saves lives. 

For workplaces

Many workplaces now keep naloxone on site as part of standard safety planning. If an overdose is suspected:

• administer naloxone if available
• call 9-1-1 immediately
• stay with the person until help arrives

Winter is a time when many families in Washington County feel stretched, and workplaces often see the ripple effects. This is why we’re especially grateful for The Connection Initiative, a program of the Community Caring Collaborative that makes it easier for people to get the help they need, when they need it.

TCI is a county-wide support system that connects community members directly to local resources through a simple, caring, human-centered process. Anyone can reach out by calling, texting, emailing, or submitting a request online. From there, TCI’s Program Manager, Dante Zanoni, helps match individuals with trusted resource partners across Washington County.

TCI helps with:

• basic needs and emergency supports
• housing, heating, and food resources
• recovery and behavioral health services
• parenting, family supports, and benefits navigation
• transportation, community programs, and more

Workplaces can share TCI with employees as a confidential first step when life feels overwhelming. It meets people where they are, offers real options, and follows up to make sure the need is resolved. 

TCI is one of the most powerful tools we have for strengthening workforce stability because it addresses challenges that often follow people into the workplace — quietly, compassionately, and without judgment.

How to connect

Call or text: (207) 255-7786

Email: support@connectioninitiative.org

Visit: connectioninitiative.org and click “Connect Now”

One in four Mainers has a criminal record. LD 1911 is a proposed Clean Slate bill currently before the Maine Legislature. If enacted, the bill would establish an automated process for sealing certain criminal records for individuals who meet specific eligibility criteria and have remained crime-free for a designated period of time. The focus is on older, lower-level convictions and eligible non-convictions.

Key elements of the proposal include:

• Records would be sealed automatically after a designated period.
• Only specific low-level, non-violent offenses would be eligible for sealing.
• Sealed records would remain accessible to law enforcement, the courts, and for legally required background checks (such as childcare and other regulated fields)
• Sealing does not erase records. If individuals meet certain requirements, eligible criminal history records would be sealed and no longer accessible through public record searches, which is consistent with current Maine law.
• The Judicial Branch would review cases and seal eligible records through an automated system. Individuals would not need to file petitions or work with attorneys, offering an alternative to Maine’s current petition-based approach.

Why workplaces might hear about this

If LD 1911 is enacted, it may influence how some older, eligible records appear on standard employment background checks. Eligible records could be sealed and may no longer appear in general screening, while records required for regulated occupations would remain visible. Similar Clean Slate laws have been enacted in multiple states, where they have been associated with increased workforce participation.

LD 1911 is currently a proposal and has not been enacted.

To learn more

🔗 Maine Legislature Bill Tracker

🔗 Clean Slate Maine's Information Sheet

Questions?

Contact Tess Parks, Policy Director of ME-RAP, at tess@me-rap.org

As we look toward a new year, many workplaces are asking the same questions:

How do we support our teams? 

How do we build stability? 

How do we meet workforce challenges with strength, not stress?

The Washington County Recovery Friendly Workplace Network (RFW) is here to help, and membership is available at no cost to workplaces.

The RFW Network supports the whole workplace and the whole person. Whether you’re a business of one or a large organization, the Network meets you where you are. It offers practical tools, trusted relationships, and access to training and professional development that strengthen wellbeing across many areas. This includes support for the many kinds of needs that can touch a workplace — not only for individuals, but also for their families, coworkers, and the wider team. These may include alcohol or substance use, behavioral and mental health, recovery, stress, family stability, community connections, and the everyday situations that shape how people show up at work.

If your workplace is looking for a meaningful way to strengthen culture, morale, and connection in the year ahead, we’d love to welcome you into the Network.

As a member, your workplace receives:

• personalized advising and hands-on support
• access to trainings that build confidence, leadership skills, and workplace wellbeing
• resources for employee and family wellbeing
• help navigating local and statewide supports for workforce challenges
• the ability to post open positions on the RFW Job Board
• assistance finding training, workshops, and professional development opportunities 
• connection to a community of workplaces committed to healthy, supportive environments
• designation as Recovery Friendly Workplace at both the Washington County and State levels
• recognition as a community leader in wellness and people-centered culture

Recovery Friendly Workplaces strengthen the workforce by strengthening the people who make it all happen. Being an RFW is more than a designation; it is a commitment to creating space where people feel respected, supported, and able to succeed.

Ready to join us?

There’s no better time than now. Consider this an invitation to give your workplace a meaningful gift for the year ahead - support, connection, and culture where people thrive. We would be honored to help you get started.

As we close out 2025, we’re grateful for every workplace, partner, and community member who has chosen to build a culture where wellness, recovery, and connection can grow — even in the darkest months of the year.

Thank you for showing up for your teams, your neighbors, and this region. Together, we’re making Washington County a place where people feel seen, supported, and hopeful.

Wishing you warmth, rest, and light this winter.