Opioid Task Force

LifePath's HomeShare Program: Is It For You?
2023-04-13 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Home sharing is a creative option to address the lack of affordable local housing and honor the desire of older adult homeowners to live in their homes. LifePath HomeShare is a program in which two or more people may share a home and expenses to their mutual benefit.

So just a reminder to please join us this Thursday, April 13, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, as we learn more from Charity Day, Associate Director of Client Services at LifePath about three options for Home Seekers (those seeking to rent) as noted below. One can register for this free event below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUof-Gvqz4iHdBatZrk7wr3jWulaj_LYQFP

The three options are:

1) Rent Only – The Home Seeker pays full monthly housing costs.
2) Reduced Rent in Exchange for Some Help – The Home Seeker pays reduced rent in exchange for performing minimal tasks. 3) No Rent in Exchange for Help – The Home Seeker pays no rent in exchange for performing household or care tasks. No two home-sharing arrangements are alike! Each is negotiated based on the needs and interests of all participants This is a great opportunity for students, people new to the area, part-time workers, and retirees.
3) No Rent in Exchange for Help – The Home Seeker pays no rent in exchange for performing household or care tasks. No two home-sharing arrangements are alike! Each is negotiated based on the needs and interests of all participants

This is a great opportunity for students, people new to the area, part-time workers, and retirees.

Overdose Prevention & Narcan Train-the-Trainer Training
2023-04-13 10:00 - 16:30
Learn how to save a life!
Please join HRiA and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region to learn how to become a trainer to offer Overdose Prevention & Narcan Trainings!

For more information on how to register, reach out at narcan@opioidtaskforce.org

CAM Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-11 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-02-14 11:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our Complementary & Alternative Medicines (CAM) Workgroup meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Canceled: Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-10 13:00 - 14:30, 2023-03-13 13:00 - 14:30
Please join our monthly meeting of the Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup, co-facilitated by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Opioid Task Force. For more information on how to participate, please contact Karen Carmona, Program Associate at karen@opioidtaskforce.org.

Treatment & Recovery Committee Meeting
2023-04-07 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-03-03 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-02-03 10:00 - 11:30
Please join us for our monthly Treatment & Recovery Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Harm Reduction Workgroup Meeting
2023-04-05 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-03-01 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-02-01 11:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our monthly Harm Reduction Workgroup meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Canceled: Public Safety & Justice Committee Meeting
2023-04-03 13:00 - 14:30
Please join us for our Public Safety & Justice Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

What's New With RAFT? 2023 Updates and Changes in the Emergency Housing Program
2023-03-30 14:00 - 15:00
Please join us on Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, for “What’s New with RAFT? 2023 Updates and Changes in the Emergency Housing Program” with Amanda Watson, Director of Housing Consumer Education Center, and Val Lowden, Housing Navigator for the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority. One can register for this free event here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkdO2vpjsiHN2WFF4FJlW-8WGhJyLnpkiP.

This session will examine the changes in the Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) as of January 1, 2023.

Per the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website, “…the RAFT program helps keep households in stable housing situations when facing eviction, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies caused by loss of income, increase in expenses, or both. Funding can be used for a variety of needs, including rent or mortgage arrears, security deposits, or other expenses to help households obtain or maintain stable housing. Households with incomes up to 50% of Area Median Income (AMI)*, or 60% of AMI for people who are at risk of homelessness because of domestic violence, are eligible for assistance.”

We will also be learning more about Val’s role as the newly hired Housing Navigator.

Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force
2023-03-27 09:30 - 10:45, 2023-02-27 09:30 - 10:45
Please join our monthly meeting to discuss the emergency needs of unhoused individuals in the Franklin County and North Quabbin Region. To learn more about how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office, and Data Manager, at Cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training
2023-03-24 14:00 - 15:00
Please join Tapestry and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region for an online Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training, scheduled for March 24, 2023, at 2:00 PM. You can register for this free event here.

Participants will learn the answers to these questions:

-What is an opioid overdose?
-How do you recognize and respond to an opioid overdose?
-How do you administer Narcan to reverse an opioid overdose?

Questions? Email narcan@opioidtaskforce.org.

Healthcare Solutions Committee Meeting
2023-03-24 10:00 - 12:00
Join us for the Healthcare Solutions Committee meeting. Please contact Cathi Emery, Office & Data Manager for information on how to participate at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Second Chances: Employment & Training Options for Those with a History of Addiction or Incarceration
2023-03-16 14:00 - 15:00
Please join us on Thursday, March 16, 2023, from 2 PM – 3 PM, for “Second Chances”, as us as we learn more about three exciting efforts in our rural region to offer access to meaningful employment and training opportunities for individuals with a history of addiction and/or incarceration. You can register for this free virtual event, here, which is sponsored by the Opioid Task Force’s Housing & Workforce Development Committee.
Featured speakers include (in alpha order):

Tess Champoux, Account Manager, Working Fields
Kirsten Levitt, Co-Executive Director, Stone Soup Cafe, and Culinary Institute
Kristen Pease, Program Associate, Opioid Task Force, and Project Manager, The ARISE Initiative

Participation in meaningful employment and training opportunities is considered a crucial component of “recovery capital” for individuals whose lives have been interrupted by addiction and/or incarceration. We look forward to learning more about these important resources!

HEALing Communities Study Meeting
2023-03-15 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-02-15 14:00 - 16:00
Please join us for the monthly meeting of the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) effort in the Franklin County and North Quabbin Region. For more information on how to participate, please contact Tiarra Fisher, HCS Community Study Coordinator at tiarra@opioidtaskforce.org.

Canceled: Education & Prevention Committee Meeting
2023-03-14 09:30 - 11:00
Please join us for our Education & Prevention Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training
2023-02-23 17:30 - 18:30
Please join Tapestry and the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region for an online Overdose Prevention & Narcan Training, scheduled for Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 5:30 PM. You can register for this free event here.

Participants will learn the answers to these questions:

-What is an opioid overdose?
-How do you recognize and respond to an opioid overdose?
-How do you administer Narcan to reverse an opioid overdose?

Building a Resilient Community Workgroup Meeting
2023-02-15 11:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our monthly meeting of the Building a Resilient Community Workgroup. For more information on how to participate, please contact Karen Carmona, Program Associate at karen@opioidtaskforce.org.

Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2023-02-13 13:00 - 14:30

Housing & Workforce Development Committee Meeting
2023-02-10 10:00 - 12:00
Please join us for our Housing & Workforce Development Committee meeting. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Methadone Workgroup Meeting
2023-02-09 15:00 - 16:00
Please join us for our monthly meeting of the Methadone Workgroup. For more information on how to participate, please contact Cathi Emery, Office and Data Manager at cathi@opioidtaskforce.org.

Public Safety & Justice Committee Meeting
2023-02-06 13:00 - 14:30

"Adulterants in the Drug Supply and Advanced Overdose Response" with Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP
2023-01-25 14:00 - 15:30
Please join us on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, from 2 PM – 3:30 PM, as Stephen Murray, MPH, NRP, will be giving a virtual training about “Adulterants in the Drug Supply and Advanced Overdose Response”. Stephen is a retired Lieutenant and Paramedic from Western Massachusetts who now works as an overdose researcher at Boston Medical Center. He is an overdose survivor and harm reduction expert, sharing his lived and professional experience in the field with audiences across the country. One can register for this free event, here.
The drug supply has a constantly changing list of adulterants such as xylazine and levamisole which present themselves differently in overdose events, compared to opioids. As a result, both first responders as well as bystanders may need to respond differently to save lives.
A certificate of attendance can be provided upon request. This training has been submitted and is currently pending approval by the Massachusetts Office of Emergency Medical Services to offer 1.5 CEUs for EMS Providers.
Participants will learn about the:

Current drug supply issues and the role of harm reduction plays in the health of people who use drugs
Drug supply adulterants including xylazine, levamisole, caffeine, quinine, lidocaine, procaine, and phenacetin
Myths about fentanyl occupational exposure
Elements of overdose prevention, overdose response, post-overdose care, and xylazine overdose

This training is sponsored by CONNECT – Franklin County and the North Quabbin’s post-opioid overdose follow-up and outreach program.

Please help us spread the word! A flyer can be viewed here and has also been attached as PDF/image files.

FC/NQ Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force
2023-01-23 09:30 - 10:45
