AmeriCorps

Burlington Police Department’s Enhanced Drug Recovery Program Yields Strong Early Results

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Burlington Police Department
Michael R. Kent
Chief of Police
45 Center Street
Burlington, MA 01803
www.bpd.org

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Burlington Police Department’s Enhanced Drug Recovery Program Yields Strong Early Results

From left: Burlington Police Officer Robert Aloisi, AmeriCorps Recovery Coach Jackie Tayabji, AmeriCorps Program Director Margie Taylor and Burlington Police Capt. Gregory Skehan at the P.A.A.R.I. National Law Enforcement Summit (Courtesy Photo Burlington Police Department)

BURLINGTON — Just two months after enhancing its drug recovery efforts through its Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.)/AmeriCorps Unit, the Burlington Police Department is already reporting meaningful results.

Since Program Coordinator Margie Taylor and Recovery Coach Jackie Tayabji, two AmeriCorps members, joined the Burlington Police Department last fall, they have reached more than 53 individuals suffering from substance use disorder — or their family members — and linked each one with critical resources.

They’ve also placed an emphasis on supporting the loved ones of those battling addiction to ensure they have the help they need to overcome the challenges they face as a result of their family members’ drug use.

Together, Taylor and Tayabji comprise Burlington’s P.A.A.R.I./AmeriCorps Unit, which works closely with Burlington Police Officer Robert Aloisi to combat substance abuse disorders and the current nationwide opioid crisis on a local level.

Taylor and Tayabji’s early success with the program is due in large part to the strong partnership they have formed with the police department, as well as the broad support of the community at large and organizations that are committed to helping them accomplish their mission.

“Forging relationships within the community is essential, as there is always power in numbers, and we can accomplish so much more when the all of the stakeholders are addressing this issue together,” Taylor said. “We have already seen how these relationships have opened the lines of communication among numerous stakeholders.”

Several organizations have proven integral to the recovery team’s efforts, including the Burlington Fire Department, Burlington Overcoming Addiction, the Board of Selectmen, Council on Aging, Rotary Club, Burlington Schools, Learn to Cope, Lahey Health and the Town Administrators office.

The recovery team has directed eight people into treatment, though their work does not end when a person enters a recovery program.

“Our goal as recovery coaches is to be a support system for the person pursuing treatment through their entire continuum of care,” Taylor said. “We want to provide support for the individual from the very start and help guide them along their journey so we can assist them with tackling any issues or barriers that could prevent a smooth path to recovery.”

The mission of the Burlington Police P.A.A.R.I./AmeriCorps Unit was bolstered early on by the entire team’s participation at P.A.A.R.I.’s inaugural National Law Enforcement Summit. While there, they gave their own presentation and learned from hundreds of law enforcement and healthcare executives and professionals from all over the country. The event took place over a two day period at Boston University and featured numerous presenters and speakers, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III.

Taylor and Tayabji’s contributions to the Burlington Police Department have been made possible by an AmeriCorps grant administered through P.A.A.R.I.

“We’re excited about the potential this program holds in allowing us to approach this significant issue from a new angle,” Chief Michael Kent said. “Jackie and Margie have already made tremendous inroads within our community and I couldn’t be happier about the impact they’re having on those in need.”

The Burlington community has bought into the work the recovery unit is doing, and has significantly eased the work of building essential partnerships that have helped the program thrive in a short period of time.

“We have had the full support of the entire community and have been welcomed with open arms,” Tayabji said. “We could not be successful without the backing and collaboration we have received from our Burlington Police partners, and we’re grateful for their commitment to making a difference and helping those struggling with substance abuse issues.”

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*Joint Release* Bedford’s Public Health and Safety Agencies Join Together to Provide Narcan to Community Members

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For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

*Joint Release*

Bedford’s Public Health and Safety Agencies Join Together to Provide Narcan to Community Members

BEDFORD — The Bedford Police and Fire Departments, Bedford Youth and Family Services and the Bedford Board of Health are pleased to announce that they have partnered to provide community members free access to the lifesaving overdose reversal drug Narcan.

The Bedford Police Department, through its membership in the Jail Diversion Program (JDP) and the Central Middlesex Police Partnership (CMPP), has worked to support people dealing with mental and substance abuse issues who they come into contact with, helping connect them with critical resources to overcome those challenges.

“This partnership will provide an invaluable resource for our entire community,” Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said. “I am proud of the collaborative effort that’s been on display in Bedford and beyond as we all work together to stop the spread of opioid addiction and ultimately save lives.”

Through its new partnership with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), the nine CMPP member communities — Acton, Bedford, Concord, Carlisle, Lincoln, Lexington, Stow, Maynard and Hanscom Air Force Base — will enlist the help of an AmeriCorps recovery coach who will work to further efforts to provide extended support for those struggling with substance abuse disorders.

As part of their work, the recovery coach, with the support of Bedford Police and the JDP clinician, will provide Bedford residents with Narcan and train them on how to use it. Community members can visit Bedford Police and request Narcan, or the recovery coach and a police officer will meet people in need elsewhere in the community to provide it to them.

The CMPP focuses specifically on substance abuse response and relies on follow-up visits with overdose victims in order to connect them with resources and treatment referrals, and Bedford public health and safety agencies have joined together to offer Bedford residents a new method for preventing overdose deaths and helping curtail the impact of the drug epidemic on a local level.

“We’re extremely grateful for the support of all of our partner agencies who made this new outreach effort possible,” Youth and Family Services Director Sue Baldauf said. “This will better enable us to connect with families in our community and offer them the resources they need to help their loved ones overcome the challenge of substance abuse.”

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COIN Receives AmeriCorps Grant from P.A.A.R.I. to Bring on Full-Time Program Coordinator

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For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 6, 2017

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-743-0004
Email: john@jgpr.net

COIN Receives AmeriCorps Grant from P.A.A.R.I. to Bring on Full-Time Program Coordinator

Interested Applicants Encouraged to Apply

PEPPERELL — Chief David Scott is pleased to announce that the Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN) received an AmeriCorps grant from the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) to bring on a full-time program coordinator to support its efforts in member communities.

The program coordinator role is a one-year position and COIN is currently looking for interested applicants.

COIN, a 10-town collaborative in northwest Middlesex County, works to assist those suffering from substance abuse and mental health disorders by connecting them to services and treatment options in order to divert them from the criminal justice system.

Over the summer, P.A.A.R.I. partnered with AmeriCorps to place 20 part-time recovery coaches and five full-time program coordinators with police departments in Massachusetts, enabling those agencies to dramatically enhance their capacity to reach individuals in need and better support them as they work to access treatment and recovery programs and services. The program launched this month, and COIN is one of the organizations to earn a grant to support a full-time program coordinator.

“We’re happy to have received one of the AmeriCorps grants to bring in a full-time person who can further the work we’re already doing surrounding substance abuse and mental health,” Chief Scott said. “We encourage anyone who has an interest in these fields to apply.”

The program coordinator will work with COIN’s part-time interim health clinician and will:

  • Perform general outreach and help with awareness activities
  • Organize fundraisers and open house style awareness events, and compile information for outreach packets
  • Assist with locating and reviewing treatment facilities
  • Help police departments with referrals and data collection
  • Attend/take notes on steering committee and working group meetings
  • Organize prescription drug and needle disposal throughout member towns
  • Represent COIN at local awareness group meetings such as North Middlesex Cares and the Societal Heroin Addiction Awareness Resource Project.

The program coordinator will receive a monthly living allowance of $1,152.50, health insurance, professional development opportunities and valuable experience working in the field.

Those interested in applying should do so here.

About COIN:
The Northwest Middlesex County Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN) is a collaboration among 10 police departments — Pepperell, Ashby, Townsend, Groton, Shirley, Ayer, Boxborough, Dunstable, Westford and Littleton – committed to addressing mental health issues and substance abuse disorders in their communities. Through its partnership with Family Continuity, a local mental health provider, COIN has brought in a mental health clinician to assist the departments with finding help for their residents in need and diverting them from the criminal justice system.

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P.A.A.R.I. To Partner With AmeriCorps To Build Capacity of Law Enforcement Partners

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P.A.A.R.I.
John Rosenthal, Co-founder & Chairman
186 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

P.A.A.R.I. To Partner With AmeriCorps To Build Capacity of Law Enforcement Partners

New Program Will Place Recovery Coaches Directly Into Police Departments

GLOUCESTER — John Rosenthal, co-founder and chairman, and Allie Hunter McDade, executive director of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), are pleased to announce that P.A.A.R.I. will receive a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Service Alliance that will place 25 AmeriCorps members into service at law enforcement agencies throughout the commonwealth, assisting in police-led addiction recovery programs.

Through AmeriCorps, P.A.A.R.I. will place 20 part-time recovery coaches and five full-time program coordinators with police departments in Massachusetts, enabling those agencies to dramatically enhance their capacity to reach individuals in need and better support them as they work to access treatment and recovery programs and services. The program is set to launch in October 2017.

P.A.A.R.I. will receive a federal grant of $207,000 per year for three years to carry out this project. As per the grant guidelines, P.A.A.R.I. is also responsible for generating matching funds to cover project costs and welcomes the contributions of individuals and organizations that wish to support its efforts to help those working to overcome addiction.

AmeriCorps members will be responsible for building the capacity of police-based programs to expand and enhance services to address the growing opioid epidemic in their communities, working directly with community members to help individuals who are seeking help access treatment and recovery services, prevent opioid overdose deaths, reduce crime and strengthen law enforcement and community relations.

“P.A.A.R.I’s mission is to provide resources to help law enforcement agencies combat the opioid epidemic and this innovative new program will add significant capacity to the law enforcement agencies we work with in Massachusetts,”  Hunter McDade said. “As an AmeriCorps alum myself, I am thrilled to partner with the Massachusetts Service Alliance and leverage the power of service through this exciting new program.”

“We are excited to partner with P.A.A.R.I. to address the growing opioid epidemic throughout the Commonwealth,” Massachusetts Service Alliance CEO Emily Haber said. “This new AmeriCorps initiative is a prime example of utilizing service as a solution to address critical needs in our communities. These dedicated AmeriCorps members will serve tirelessly alongside law enforcement to help bridge gaps between addiction and recovery services.”

P.A.A.R.I. is also announcing the search for a full-time program director to oversee the program; the job description is available here. Those interested in applying to serve as a part or full-time AmeriCorps member should click here for more information. P.A.A.R.I. is also seeking police departments and law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts that would like to host one or more AmeriCorps members to support their department (or group of departments). Learn more by clicking here.

In addition to its efforts in Massachusetts, P.A.A.R.I. is developing a grant proposal for the Corporation for National and Community Service to place AmeriCorps members in law enforcement agencies on a national scale.

For those interested in financially supporting this exciting new project in Massachusetts, a donation of $10,000 fully covers the cost of one full-time AmeriCorps member for one year and a donation of $5,000 fully covers the cost of one part-time AmeriCorps member for one year. If you would like to make a financial gift, please donate here and write “AmeriCorps” in the comment section. You can also mail a check to 186 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 and write “AmeriCorps” in the memo line.

About AmeriCorps:

AmeriCorps is a civil society program that engages adults in public service work with a goal of helping others and meeting critical needs in the community. Members commit to full-time or part-time positions offered by a network of nonprofit community organizations and public agencies to fulfill assignments in the fields of education, public safety, healthcare, and environmental protection. There are more than 75,000 Americans in service each year.

About the Massachusetts Service Alliance:

The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), established in 1991, is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state commission on service and volunteerism. MSA promotes and supports service and volunteerism by investing public and private resources in community-based organizations that rely upon volunteers and people engaged in service to meet their community’s needs. MSA administers the AmeriCorps State program for Massachusetts and the Commonwealth Corps program, as well as support for community service learning, and volunteer generation initiatives. MSA provides training and technical assistance to organizations to support their volunteer and service member management through one-on-one technical assistance, trainings and workshops throughout the year, and a bi-annual statewide conference on service and volunteerism.

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