State's Opioid Response

On Thursday, November 7, Gordon Smith, will be the featured guest speaker of the Lewiston-Rotary Lunch Club from noon to 1 p.m. at The Village Inn, 165 High Street, Auburn  Gordon H. Smith, Esq. was appointed by Governor Janet Mills as Director of Opioid Response in January 2019, and began work on February 4. Smith reports directly to Governor Mills as part of the Office of Innovation and the Future. He is responsible for coordinating and directing the various aspects of Maine’s response to the opioid crisis, including prescriber education and reduction of opioid prescribing, prevention and treatment of substance use disorder and harm reduction strategies. He stepped down as the Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Maine Medical Association on January 3, 2019 and had served as its EVP since September 1993. He has had a relationship with MMA dating back to September 1979. He graduated from the University of Maine with the highest distinction in 1973 and from the Boston College Law School, magna cum laude, in 1976. He practiced law before coming to the Maine Medical Association as General Counsel in 1981. He is a past Chairman of the American Society of State Medical Association Counsel, a nation-wide group of 140 attorneys representing medical associations. Mr. Smith has also served as Chairman of the American Medical Association/State Medical Society Litigation Center, the Maine Health Data Organization and the Advocacy Resource Center of the American Medical Association. He is a former board member and chair of Quality Counts, a former board member of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership and the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Smith is a frequent lecturer to medical groups on various medical legal subjects.  . L-A Rotary meets every Thursday at The Village Inn, Auburn from noon to 1 p.m.  Lunch is available for $14. Guests and visiting Rotarians are always welcomed.  FMI visit for events and other club information visit  www.lewistonauburnrotary.org and www.facebook.com/lewistonmainerotary/ or contact Club President Celeste Yakawonis, 713.7111.