AmeriCorps

Five P.A.A.R.I. Recovery Coaches Join Boston Police Department through AmeriCorps Program

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

For Immediate Release

Monday, June 11, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Five P.A.A.R.I. Recovery Coaches Join Boston Police Department through AmeriCorps Program

GLOUCESTER — Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade is pleased to announce that five Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) recovery coaches have been sworn in as AmeriCorps members to contribute to the Boston Police Department’s addiction and recovery efforts.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh held an official swearing in of P.A.A.R.I.’s Anita Cunha, Steve Jutras, Tyshaun Perryman, Ursel Hughes and Cheryl Molloy-Emerson as part of the 86th annual meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors on Sunday, June 10. The ceremony marked Mayor Walsh’s first time swearing in a group of AmeriCorps members.

“I’m grateful for the P.A.A.R.I. recovery coaches, who will work closely with our police officers, to fight the opioid epidemic by enhancing direct outreach and getting more people into treatment and on the road to recovery,” Mayor Walsh said. “All of us have a role to play in addressing the opioid epidemic, and as our first responders are on the front lines of answering the call for help, it’s our responsibility to ensure they are equipped with the tools and resources to best support those in need of care. This partnership with P.A.A.R.I. and AmeriCorps will strengthen our work as we continue to implement solutions that will make a real difference.”

During the meeting, where mayors from around the country were in attendance, the P.A.A.R.I.-AmeriCorps program was highlighted as a best practice. The program places members into service at host police department sites across Massachusetts to assist with municipal police-led addiction and recovery programs in direct response to the growing opioid epidemic.

“The opioid epidemic is the most pressing public health and public safety issue affecting our communities, with an estimated 174 fatal overdoses every single day,” Hunter McDade said during the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “So both at the local and federal level, there is an emphasis on leveraging national service programs, such as AmeriCorps, to address it.”

P.A.A.R.I. currently has a team of 22 members who are serving 53 communities across Massachusetts where they help build the capacity of law enforcement programs, prevent overdose deaths, and provide vital resources to community members with substance use disorders and their loved ones. Since October 2017, the team of P.A.A.R.I-AmeriCorps members have provided support to 3,057 unique individuals affected by a substance use disorder.

P.A.A.R.I. Co-founder John Rosenthal, who attended the ceremony and meeting, stressed the importance of communities implementing a pre-arrest program to assist those struggling with addiction while also working with volunteer organizations like AmeriCorps to provide related services to those in need.

“Thank you Mayor Marty Walsh for making the opioid epidemic a priority and for demonstrating your commitment by highlighting our partnership today,” Rosenthal said Sunday.

With the Boston Police Department, P.A.A.R.I.’s five recovery coaches will:

  • Assist individuals struggling with substance use disorders as they make referrals to treatment, navigate and remove barriers to recovery support services, and provide hope, optimism and encouragement.
  • Connect community members with substance use disorders, or those who have loved ones struggling with addiction, to recovery services.
  • Work across city agencies — like the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, Boston public libraries and the Boston Public Health Commission — as well as treatment providers, hospitals, neighborhood associations and organizations providing related services to assist those affected by opioid addiction.
  • Travel to neighborhoods where residents have less access to recovery services. All of the recovery coaches are personally in recovery and have direct experience navigating local treatment and recovery supports.

“We are so proud to partner with P.A.A.R.I. on this innovative, groundbreaking AmeriCorps program,” said Emily Haber, CEO of the Massachusetts Service Alliance, which provides funding to the project. “P.A.A.R.I.-AmeriCorps is a strong model for engaging the power of national service to address the devastating opioid crisis in Massachusetts and across the nation.”

The five P.A.A.R.I AmeriCorps members join more than 1,200 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members combating the opioid epidemic in more than 150 communities across 45 states. This is thanks to support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that oversees these national service programs.

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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: [email protected]

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: [email protected]

*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: [email protected]

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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