COIN

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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COIN Receives Donation to Fund Mental Health Clinician Hours

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Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016

For Immediate Release

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-743-0004
Email: [email protected]

COIN Receives Donation to Fund Mental Health Clinician Hours

Left to right: TADS Founder Steve Boczenowski, Pepperell Police Chief David Scott, Selectman Melissa Tzanoudakis, Chairman Stephen Themelis, and Selectman Roland Nutter. (Courtesy Photo)
Left to right: TADS Founder Steve Boczenowski, Pepperell Police Chief David Scott, Selectman Melissa Tzanoudakis, Chairman Stephen Themelis, and Selectman Roland Nutter. (Courtesy Photo)

PEPPERELL – Police Chief David Scott is pleased to announce that the Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN) has received a $22,500 donation from Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions (TADS) to fund more hours with the program’s mental health clinicians.

COIN, a 10-town collaborative in Northwest Middlesex County, seeks 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.

The ten COIN police departments have partnered with Family Continuity, a local health provider, to bring a mental health clinician to work with their communities. The mental health clinician was initially funded by a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. The donation from TADS will increase the number of hours the clinician can devote to each department.

“We are very grateful to TADS for their support as COIN has launched its collaborative,” Chief Scott said. “The COIN program wouldn’t be what it is today without the knowledge and guidance we have received from Steve Boczenowski and TADS.”

About COIN:

The Northwest Middlesex County Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN) is a collaboration between 10 area 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.

About TADS:

Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions is a Groton-based nonprofit organization that focuses on mental health issues, especially with regard to helping parents who have children with mental health needs. TADS was formed in 2011 by Steve and Deb Boczenowski as a response to losing their son, Jeffrey, to suicide. TADS’ mission is to address this critically important issue by raising awareness, providing education and enabling access to care. TADS is pleased to support the COIN Collaborative.

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COIN to Host Mental Health Training for First Responders

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Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016

For Immediate Release

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 978-743-0004
Email: [email protected]

COIN to Host Mental Health Training for First Responders

PEPPERELL – Police Chief David Scott is pleased to report that police officers from 10 area communities will undergo specialized training on how to respond to mental health emergencies and how to better serve members of their communities suffering from mental illness through the new Northwest Middlesex County Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN).

Police departments in Pepperell, Ashby, Townsend, Groton, Shirley, Ayer, Boxborough, Dunstable, Westford and Littleton recently began collaborating to form COIN. The group of police departments has hired a mental health clinician, funded by a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, to work within all 10 police department to help conduct follow-up calls to connect citizens with private resources.

The day-long training will be held on three different dates this year: Oct. 6, Oct. 13 and Dec. 1. The course, provided free of charge by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is open to all first responders and police officers in COIN communities. Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions (TADS) will also participate in the training.

“Our officers respond to calls for issues involving substance use and mental health disorders on a regular basis,” Chief Scott said. “Our towns’ patrol officers are the ones who often come in contact with these individuals, and we are now training them to better recognize those in need. Our goals is to have our patrol forces identify individuals in need and then have our clinician be the link to the treatment that can help our residents.”

About COIN:

The Northwest Middlesex County Community Outreach Initiative Network (COIN) is a collaboration between 10 area 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. Utilizing a civilian mental health clinician, COIN departments can identify residents who may benefit from more specialized care. In addition, first responders will be better equipped to handle emergency situations in which a victim may suffer from a mental illness.

About TADS:

Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions is a Groton-based nonprofit organization that focuses on mental health issues, especially with regards to helping parents who have children with mental health needs. TADS was formed in 2011 by Steve and Deb Boczenowski as a response to losing their son, Jeffrey, to suicide. TADS’ mission is to address this critically important issue by raising awareness, providing education and enabling access to care. TADS is pleased to support the COIN Collaborative.

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