In the News

Opioid Task Force Members In the News

March 2017 – March 2019

• "Working Across Generations" - Inside Higher Ed
• "Colrain joins county public health service co-op" - The Recorder
• "Love at First Lick" - The Recorder
• "$1.5 million grant to develop opioid treatment program for jail detainees" - News-Medical.Net
• "Franklin County sheriff finds space to provide women with addiction treatment equal to men"- The Berkshire Eagle
• "Opioid overdose deaths still on rise locally"- The Gazette
• "State commission recommends safe injection sites in Massachusetts" - WWLP 22 News
• "Health leaders signal cautious optimism about Baystate’s plan" - The Recorder
• "UMass researcher working with Franklin, Hampshire jails in $1.5 million study of opioid treatment for inmates" - MassLive
• "Mass. Panel Recommends One Or More Supervised Consumption Sites To Reduce Opioid OD Deaths" - WBUR
• "State: Opioid deaths decline slightly for 2nd straight year" - The Recorder
• "Task force hunts for sober housing" - The Recorder
• "Baystate Franklin gets $1M for moms in addiction" - The Recorder
• "For first time in Mass., male inmate will get methadone" - The Boston Globe
• "Police learn from each other about ways to fight addiction" - The Recorder
• "Radio Boston Special Hour: Opioid Epidemic" - WBUR
• "Can Baystate Franklin reach into community to improve health?" - The Recorder
• "Task force looks at new ways to combat addiction" - The Recorder
• "Opioid Task Force addresses medically assisted treatment" - The Recorder
• "Pols take their cue from students" - The Recorder
• "4 progressive women from Western Massachusetts hope to make a difference on Beacon Hill" - MassLive
• "Sober Housing Summit held in Greenfield to discuss building more sober housing" - WWLP 22 News
• "More sober housing said needed in county" - The Recorder
• "State employees recognized in with awards ceremony" - WWLP 22 News
• "District says ‘farewell’ to Kulik" - The Recorder
• "Retiring Rep. Steve Kulik bids farewell to Beacon Hill colleagues" - MassLive
• "BFMC receives ‘A’ for patient safety" - The Recorder
• "Area tour with senator-elect touches on homelessness, food insecurity, education and more" - The Recorder
• "Franklin County Sheriff Explains Support For Medically Assisted Treatments In Jail" - WAMC
• "Hundreds gather to remember bright spirit who lost her life to addiction"- The Gazette
• "Opioid task force’s honor well-earned; more work ahead" - The Recorder
• "Tackling homelessness ‘one bite at a time’" - The Recorder
• "Opioid Task Force co-chairs win 2018 Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service" - Athol Daily News
• "Public Safety Through Treatment" - Social Work Voice
• "Regional, state, and local officials meeting on homelessness" - The Recorder
• "A call for action and leadership from each of us (Guest viewpoint)" - MassLive
• "Panel: Buprenorphine 'Can Give Patients Their Lives Back'"  - American Academy of Family Physicians
• "Youth conference trains students to become active bystanders" - WWLP 22 News
• "The Consortium Welcomes New Executive Director, Kristel Applebee" - Western Massachusetts Training Consortium
• "Berkshire Groups Ask Senate President For Flexible Funding To Combat Opioids" - iBerkshires
• "$1M to fight youth opioid addiction" - The Recorder
• "Fewer teens are using drugs in Franklin County" - WWLP 22 News
• "Risky behaviors among local teens decline" - The Recorder
• "Pot, e-cigarettes harmful to teen brains, despite growing use, doctor tells crowd at St. John’s High School" - Worcester Telegram
• "Chamber members give United Way a boost" - The Recorder
• "Pioneering forward with our community engaged in our success" - The Recorder
• "County jail Suboxone program gets $1.5M" - The Recorder
• "Michael S. Hutton-Woodland: Early intervention is key"- The Gazette
• "Probate, family court offers services to families struggling with addiction" - The Recorder
• "Collaboration In Health/Wellness: The Consortium And The Opioid Task Force" - BusinessWest
• "Greenfield Community College welcomes new president" - WWLP 22 News
• "One Remarkable Doctor Who's Fighting Opioid Addiction in Smalltown Massachusetts" - Public Radio Tulsa
• "Sheriff’s office donates $20,000 to Warm the Children" - The Recorder
• "Franklin County residents training to become recovery coaches" - WWLP 22 News
• "Editorial: Massachusetts a leader in innovative treatment programs for opioids" - The Recorder
• "Legislature OKs bill promoting drug-assisted treatment for addicted jail inmates"- The Gazette
• "Jails lower resistance to addiction meds" - The Associated Press
• "Pilot Program Would Let Jail Inmates Receive Medications For Opioid Addiction" - WAMC Northeast Public Radio
• "Bill Would Require Medications To Treat Opioid Addictions In Jails"- WAMC Northeast Public Radio
• "Focusing on gaps in services for people with opioid addiction" - The Gazette
• "Editorial: Reinventing Justice in Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region our way" - The Recorder
• "Jail program teaches incarcerated dads to become the fathers they want to be" - The Gazette
• "Advocates push safe injection sites to address opioid epidemic in Massachusetts" - MassLive
• "Franklin County Opioid Task Force hosts Building a Resilient Community event" - WWLP 22 News
• "Speaker: A resilient community must be trauma-informed" - The Recorder
• "Recovery resource fair at Greenfield Community College encourages outreach" - The Recorder
• "Lucinda Brown to retire, leaving legacy of restorative justice" - The Recorder
• "Hampden Sheriff Nick Cocchi commits 86 beds for regional opioid treatment but says more likely needed" - MassLive
• "Massachusetts receives nearly $12 million in federal funding to fight opioid epidemic" - WWLP 22 News
• "Editorial: GCC makes successful transition" - The Gazette
• "Opioid deaths decline in county, state but concerns remain" - The Recorder
• "PHOTOS: GCC outdoor lab dedicated to departing President Pura" - The Recorder
• "Community turns out for first Bowling for Recovery event in Shelburne Falls" - The Recorder
• "Community overdose prevention training held at Shelburne-Buckland Community Center" - WWLP 22 News
• "My Turn — Andrew Baker: Honor our machine shop ‘graduates’ — Bob Pura and Rep. Kulik" - The Recorder
• "Drug Take Back Day Yields 1,232 Pounds of Unwanted Medications"  - Northwestern District Attorney's Office
• "My Turn-Donelan: Sheriff offers his thanks" - The Recorder
• "Advocate for those in recovery makes call to #413EndTheStigma" - The Recorder
• "Magazine focuses on Greenfield as opioid treatment success story" - The Recorder
• "Can this Small Town Lead America in Fighting the Opioid Crisis?" - Ozy
• "Franklin County communities to take part in national drug take back" - The Recorder
  "Northwester DA David Sullivan issues 2017 annual report outlining prosecutions, community service" - MassLive
• "Baystate Franklin Medical Center interim president and chief nursing officer accept permanent positions" - The Recorder
• "Experts answer questions on teen vaping" - The Recorder
• "Editorial: Wellness Center aims to better health of residents, Greenfield" - The Recorder
• "GCC’s Pura, Hwang win award for ‘Changing Lives Through Literature’" - The Recorder
• "Greenfield’s Center for Wellness opens" - The Recorder
• "My Turn: Rolling out welcome mat for Greenfield Center for Wellness" - The Recorder
• "Can opioid addiction be stopped before it starts?" - The Recorder
• "Public health advocates bemoan transportation budget cuts" - The Recorder
• "GCC’s Bob Pura Made the Community-college Mission a Career" - BusinessWest.com
• "MassHealth changes causing stress, confusion" - The Recorder
• "Opioid Task Force distributing Easter hams to Franklin County organizations" - WWLP 22 News
• "Longtime leader at LifePath Roseann Martoccia leaving for Holyoke job" - The Recorder
• "Nursing program at GCC ranked third in state" - The Recorder
• "Robert L. Pura to receive honorary degree at Smith College Commencement" - Smith College
• "Editorial: Thankful for Sandy Sayers’ impact on United Way" - The Recorder
• "New data revealed a significant decline in opioid deaths in Franklin County" - 22 News 
• "Editorial: Jail gives women inmates access to opioid treatment" - The Gazette
• "State grant to build up ‘Second Chance’ job-training in Greenfield" - The Recorder
• "‘Loving Your Recovery’ event in Athol Saturday" - The Recorder
• "Franklin County House of Correction welcoming women to benefit from treatment program" - The Recorder
• "Haigh to lead police chiefs association" - The Recorder
• "Drug Users Are Forming Unions To Protect Their Rights And Safety" - HuffingtonPost 
• "Greenfield suing opioid makers, distributors"
• "Greenfield sues big pharma over opioids" - The Recorder
• "$100,000 grant to go towards Franklin County jail’s opioid treatment program" - 22 News 
• "Robert Pura: 'One Man Making a Difference" - The Recorder
• "Baystate Franklin President announces resignation after 18 months on the job" - The Recorder
• "DA moves to dismiss 1,497 drug cases" - The Gazette
• "What works to reduce overdose deaths? Experts speak at Baystate Medical Center" - MassLive
• "Smith voc welcomes GCC to campus" - The Recorder
• "New snag for needle exchange?" - The Recorder
• "Needle exchange finds a home in Greenfield" - The Recorder
• "Rural Franklin County Is Making Strides Toward Becoming a Destination" - BusinessWest
• "Pura lauded at his last GCC Foundation meeting" - The Recorder
• "State crime bills would expand inmates' access to addiction treatment"
  - The Boston Globe
• "RECOVER Project holds 2nd annual turkey giveaway" - The Recorder
• "More sharps boxes planned" - The Recorder 
• "Locals unhappy with Trump's opioid declaration" - The Recorder 
• "Community learns methods for maintaining sobriety during the holidays" - The Recorder 
• "State, local representatives chat about politics at youth forum" - The Recorder
• "Neal: Community action best response to opioid addiction" - The Recorder
  
• "Donelan elected VP of MA Sheriff's Association" - Athol Daily News
  
• "Young Victims of Opioid Crisis Pay High Price" - The Boston Globe 
• "Editorial: Retiring GCC President Bob Pura a True Visionary" - The Gazette
• "Sheriffs collect at Big Y for hurricane relief" - The Recorder 
• "A key cog: Franklin Regional Council of Governments Turns 20" - The Recorder 
• "Doctor: We need to understand how addiction affects the brain" - The Recorder 
• "Additional restrictions on needle exchange will do more harm than good" - The Recorder 
• "Bidding adieu to GCC’s Bob Pura — a true visionary" - The Recorder 
• "United Way announces co-chairs of annual fundraiser heading into 80th year" - The Recorder 
• "State report on opioid epidemic reflects need for more resources, prevention" - The Recorder
• "Campuses takle the opioid epidemic" - American Association of Community Colleges
• "Task Force applauds Trump's opioid declaration" - The Recorder 
  
• "Franklin County House of Correction to receive $100K to treat opioid crisis"  - The Recorder 
• "GCC joins regional training consortium"  - The Recorder 
  
• "New Behavioral Health Network VP brings decades of experience"- The Recorder 
  
• "Locals cool on federal opioid report"  - The Recorder 
• "DA to move to Bank Row by Jan. 1" - The Recorder 
• "Franklin and Hampshire counties get money to fight opioid abuse"  - The Recorder
• "NQCC starting weekly parenting texts"  - The Recorder
  
• "State Senate budget funds opioid task force, education" - The Recorder
• "Opioid-related deaths decrease in Franklin County while increase statewide" - The Recorder
• "Rep. Paul Mark honored for child advocacy" - The Recorder
• "New blood: Baystate Health, UMass Medical School to welcome 25 students" - The Recorder
• "Young, Bialecki unseat incumbents" - The Recorder
• "Editorial: Merging emergency dispatches worth review" - The Recorder 
  
• Mediation agency celebrating its 30th anniversary" - The Recorder 
• “Volunteers to be honored at Montague Catholic Social Ministries 'Heart 2 Heart' event" - MassLive
• "Western Mass. residents named to regional commissions on women's issues" – MassLive
• "McGovern, mayor talk Franklin Recovery Center success, expanding programs" - The Recorder 
• "$66M Franklin County courthouse officially opens in downtown Greenfield" – MassLive
• "COG working toward a healthier Franklin County" - The Recorder
• "Local leaders cautiously optimistic about Trump’s order to form opioid crisis committee" - The Recorder
• "Working towards a drug-free culture" - Greenfield Recorder
• "Bialecki throwing hat in ring" - Greenfield Recorder
• First pancake breakfast a hit for Recover Project - The Recorder
• Opioid Overdose Death Cases Soared - The Science Times
• Chief Medical Officer at Baystate Franklin: Should we prescribe opioids to addicts? - The Recorder 

Community Forum News Articles 

• "When jail is the safest place: A parent's story" -The Recorder 
• "Athol police chief shares story of opioid addiction in his family" - The Recorder 
• "Speaker tells Shelburne Falls how he took on addiction through theater" - The Recorder 
• "Deerfield official Trevor McDaniel shares brush with opioid meds" - the Recorder