CNMI officials cut the ceremonial ribbon at the Substance Abuse Addiction & Rehabilitation Program’s Community Outreach Partnership Program Office in Chalan Kanoa on Monday, Aug. 19.
AT the grand opening of the Substance Abuse Addiction & Rehabilitation Program’s Community Outreach Partnership Program Office in Chalan Kanoa on Monday, Aug. 19, SAAR program manager Charlotte Flores called on the community to partner with her office.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by community members and CNMI officials led by Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang.
“We kindly reach out to government offices, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to say that we seek partnership and support for the benefit of our community and the people of the CNMI,” Flores said.
She said the program office on Texas Road will be a “space for the community and villages to come and avail [themselves] of our services.”
The office will comprise programs under the Community Outreach Partnership program, and will provide career development services, outreach and prevention services, and services for clients’ reentry, outpatient care, and aftercare services.
Flores said the mission of SAAR is “to empower individuals struggling with substance use and addiction to achieve long-term recovery and regain control of their lives through comprehensive support and resources.”
Precinct 2 Rep. Manny Castro called the opening of the program office a “prime example of when everyone is synergized and working together.” He said the executive branch approved the office’s opening, the Legislature provided resources, and the judiciary extended its programs and services.
He said the “community made this program what it is.”
Like Flores, he called on the public to “continue to support programs like this.”
He said he and his fellow Precinct 2 representative, John Paul Sablan, noted that the three “number one issues” facing Precinct 2 are drugs, poverty and unemployment.
“This program today helps address all these issues,” he said.
