Opioid Task Force

HEALing Communities Study Meeting
2023-01-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-02-15 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-03-15 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
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.

Healthcare Solutions Committee Meeting
2023-01-20 10:00 - 12:00, 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.

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

"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.

Harm Reduction Workgroup Meeting
2023-02-01 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-03-01 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-05 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.

Treatment & Recovery Committee Meeting
2023-02-03 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-03-03 10:00 - 11:30, 2023-04-07 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.

Public Safety & Justice Committee Meeting
2023-02-06 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.

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.

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.

Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2023-02-13 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.

CAM Workgroup Meeting
2023-02-14 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-04-11 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.

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.

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?

Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force
2023-02-27 09:30 - 10:45, 2023-03-27 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.

Canceled: Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation Workgroup Meeting
2023-03-13 13:00 - 14:30, 2023-04-10 13:00 - 14:30

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.

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!

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.

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.

Canceled: Public Safety & Justice Committee Meeting
2023-04-03 13:00 - 14:30
