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HOPE grows: Expanding fight against addiction

HOPE grows: Expanding fight against addiction

by | Sep 25, 2021 | In The News

By J. CHERRY SULLIVANand MERRIDITH O’LEARY

For the Gazette

Published: 9/25/2021 7:59:06 AM

“…The newest addition to this team is the Northampton Prevention Coalition, the city’s long-running youth substance use prevention coalition, led by coordinator Kara McLaughlin (who came on board in the summer.) For 10 years, the NPC was based in the school department, funded by a federal Drug Free Communities grant. Bringing youth substance use prevention work into the health department makes sense. To adequately respond to the addiction epidemic plaguing our nation, we need to view prevention broadly and address it much earlier.

Our prevention team is building upon Hampshire HOPE accomplishments, including:

  • The tried and true strategies of overdose prevention work: Changing cultural norms around safe storage and proper, timely disposal of medications; promoting harm reduction and working with organizations, like Tapestry, that do it so well; redoubling efforts to distribute Narcan; never missing an opportunity to confront stigma and misunderstanding.
  • Being a catalyst for the creation of the now-robust Northampton Recovery Center;
  • Working together with local business, municipalities, higher education, and social service agencies to provide Narcan training and distribution;
  • Placing NaloxBoxes that provide emergency Narcan in public buildings;
  • Serving as convener and connector of community partnerships during the pandemic shutdown to ensure some of the most vulnerable in our community continued to get the support they needed…

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Sheriff’s office gets $2.6M grant to expand addiction treatment in jail

Sheriff’s office gets $2.6M grant to expand addiction treatment in jail

by | Sep 17, 2021 | In The News

The Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield.

HOPE grows: Expanding fight against addiction

Tributes flow at Northampton Recovery Center’s grand opening

by | Aug 27, 2021 | In The News

Lynn Ferro, Director of the Northampton Recovery Center talks during the grand opening Thursday, August 26, 2021.By BRIAN STEELE
Staff Writer
Published: 8/26/2021 9:08:55 PM

NORTHAMPTON — “It’s hard for me to talk,” Ralph D’Amico said, choking back tears. “If I knew this type of stuff years ago, I wouldn’t be in the situation I am now.”

He was speaking to a standing-room-only crowd Thursday afternoon at the grand opening of the Northampton Recovery Center’s new location at 25 Armory St., the site of the former La Fiorentina Pastry Shop.

“This is like my family,” D’Amico said, describing for more than 50 people the impact that the center’s addiction recovery programs have had on his life. “I came here, originally, from the Hampshire County jail. I had a lot of counseling, learned a lot about addiction. … Now I volunteer here twice a week.

“If you really need help and want a good place to go,” he said, once again losing his voice as he spoke through tears, “come here.”

Powerful emotions were on display at Thursday’s grand opening, but the atmosphere was one of celebration. The new 3,000-square-foot site is nearly triple the size of the previous one-room location at 2 Gleason Plaza, and features a wide range of amenities and recovery resources that were unavailable until now…

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You may support the NRC by visiting the Consortium’s secure donation page and choosing “Northampton Recovery Center” as the designated recipient: https://www.northamptonrecoverycenter.org/donate

Farmer’s market in Belchertown educates about Narcan

Farmer’s market in Belchertown educates about Narcan

by | Jul 27, 2021 | In The News

by: 

Posted:  / Updated: 

BELCHERTOWN, MASS. (WWLP) – A farmers market booth offering information and Narcan in Belchertown was met with resistance by some online, 22News discovered it’s starting a conversation that could save lives.

“I was nervous for Sunday. I just saw the negative comments and that kind of stuck with me but the response was so amazing,” Alyssa Curran, the HEALing Communities Study Coordinator of the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium said.

Curran said when stigmas were revealed online a show of support came through. Normally when they give out Narcan at a park in Ware, they only hand out 6 boxes, but during the Sunday farmers’ market in Belchertown two weeks ago more was distributed.

“We gave out 20. We gave out so many that we ran out and Sergeant Lozier who was here ran back to the station because they had a supply of Narcan,” Abaigeal Duda, the Peer Recovery Project Coordinator of the Ware Regional Recovery Center said.

[…]

The information booth offered people the chance to share their stories of addiction and recovery, whether it was them or a loved one. Duda said this is an issue that can be solved by having western Massachusetts people working together.

“It shows when people feel comfortable coming up and saying I would like to have this on hand that they will do it,” Duda said.

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Sheriff’s office gets $2.6M grant to expand addiction treatment in jail

Salasin Project Receives Additional Funding from Western MA Women’s Fund #MeToo Grants

by | Jul 16, 2021 | In The News

Official logo of the Salasin Project, a purple lotus with green circular lily pads.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Becky Lockwood, Salasin Project Director
Email: [email protected]

Salasin Project Receives Additional Funding from Western MA Women’s Fund #MeToo Grants

GREENFIELD, MA July 16, 2021 – The Salasin Project in Franklin County, a program of the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium, has received $10,000 from the Women’s Fund of Western MA to sustain the “Healthy Relationships After Trauma” program. This funding allows for unique support to women who are or have been incarcerated and have experienced trauma connected to gender-based violence.

On July 1st, the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM) announced $135,000 in grant awards to organizations working with women and girls that address safety and anti-violence; gender-based sexual violence; parity in leadership, representation, and power; and economic security.

Through the “Healthy Relationships After Trauma” program, Salasin Project facilitates weekly discussion and healing arts groups at the Women’s Unit of the Franklin County House of Correction and the Two Rivers Women’s Substance Abuse Treatment Program. Participants in the discussion groups describe the meetings as “a safe place to share ideas with one another.” They have also shared that the healing arts groups are “very helpful in reducing stress” and “slowing down” as well as “very calming.” One participant noted the groups help her manage her anxiety and depression. Other members state they look forward to attending every week. Salasin Advocates also offer individual assistance to women once they are released including support with finding and maintaining safe housing; safety planning; court advocacy; working with the Department of Children & Families to regain visitation or custody of children; and financial assistance.

During the last fiscal year, Salasin facilitated 60 group sessions at the Franklin County House of Correction with 229 contacts. 22 group sessions were facilitated at the Two Rivers Women’s Treatment Program for 65 contacts. Salasin Project Advocates met with formerly incarcerated women for support and advocacy a total of 234 times.

The Consortium, founded in 1975, is a learning organization committed to creating conditions in which people with lived experience pursue their dreams and strengthen our communities through full participation. To learn more, visit their website at http://wmtcinfo.org/.

Community agencies get trained to offer Strengthening Families Program

Community agencies get trained to offer Strengthening Families Program

by | Jun 21, 2021 | In The News

By CHRIS LARABEE
Staff Writer, Greenfield Recorder
Published: 6/18/2021 2:38:32 PM

GREENFIELD — Local family-serving agencies and volunteers attended a three-day training session at The RECOVER Project last week to learn about the Strengthening Families Program.

The program, run over seven weeks, focuses on building family relationships through topics such as stress, communication and love. Parents and teens ages 10 to 14 participate together once a week in two-hour sessions where they participate in activities and discussions.

[…]

The Strengthening Families Program has been shown to be effective at reducing youth drug and alcohol use by strengthening family relationships, according to a press release from the Communities That Care Coalition.

The six trainees and additional volunteers that participated last week are now able to bring the program back to their agencies and provide its benefits to the community at large. Agencies might not implement the program right away, but Allen said The Brick House Community Resource Center in Turners Falls and The RECOVER Project in Greenfield are eager to add it to their summer services.

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