substance use

*MEDIA ADVISORY* Randolph Police Officer Meets Woman for First Time After Helping Her through Substance Use Disorder 8 Years Ago

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Randolph Police Department
William Pace, Police Chief
41 South Main St.
Randolph, MA 02368

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Randolph Police Officer Meets Woman for First Time After Helping Her through Substance Use Disorder 8 Years Ago

Joanne Batson Gave Officer Stephen Morse her 8-Year Sobriety Medallion Today

RANDOLPH — Chief William Pace announces that veteran Randolph Police Officer Stephen Morse had a surprise encounter today with a woman he helped eight years ago who was in the throes of addiction.

Joanne Batson credits Officer Morse with helping her turn her life around from being addicted to alcohol and opioids. On Wednesday, she personally thanked Officer Morse by giving him the eight-year sobriety medallion she recently received.

Tomorrow morning, the two will be at the Randolph Police Department to share their story with members of the media.

WHEN:

TOMORROW — Thursday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m.

WHERE:

Randolph Police Department, 41 South Main St., Randolph

WHAT:

In November 2010, Randolph Police were called to a local pharmacy for a well-being check about a woman who appeared to be intoxicated inside the store with her young daughter.

Upon arrival, Officer Morse spoke to Joanne Batson who was drunk standing in line at the store. Once they stepped outside to talk, Officer Morse asked Batson if she had someone who was sober who could help take care of her daughter.

Batson called her aunt and Officer Morse gave her and her then-2-year-old daughter a ride to her aunt’s house in Randolph.

On the way there, Officer Morse spoke to Batson about needing to be there for her daughter and how important it was for her to make changes in her life.

Officer Morse dropped the mother and daughter off at the relative’s home and made sure they were both safe.

Even though as a mandated reporter, Officer Morse was required to file a 51A with the Department of Children and Families later that evening, eight years later Joanne credits the encounter she had with Officer Morse and her decision to seek treatment shortly thereafter with changing her life and allowing her today to be a mother to her children.

“I was in a really bad place. I was close to losing custody of my daughter,” said Batson, age 35, of Randolph. “His gesture of kindness and his compassion towards me really changed my life and it set me on the path toward pursuing treatment. I did long-term treatment for seven months and I’ve been clean ever since. He chose not to arrest me and took me to my aunt’s house with my daughter. He spoke to me a lot on the ride there and he was just being kind and not being mean to me and saying how much my daughter needed me and if I kept going the way I was going I wasn’t going to be around for her.”

According to Batson, after years of pondering it, on Wednesday, she finally gathered the courage to seek out and re-introduce herself to Officer Morse for the first time since that day in 2010. A call was made to the Randolph Police station to have Officer Morse come to the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center. Batson works there as a Member Experience Coordinator.

When they met, they spoke and hugged and Batson gave Officer Morse her eight-year sobriety medallion.

“It was something I thought of doing probably since I celebrated my first year of sobriety,” Batson said. “Each year I wanted to do it, but I haven’t had the guts to do it. But it was something that I really wanted him to know. Police officers deal with a lot of flak, especially these days, and I wanted him to know that he changed this one person’s life. He gave my daughter the mother she deserves and I can’t say how grateful I am for him and the kindness he showed me.”

Now, Batson’s daughter is 10, and she also has a 7-year-old son. She has worked for the Community Center for the past two years.

“It’s going really great. I work with a lot of the youth at the Community Center and I get to share my story with them so that they don’t end up where I was,” Batson said.

For Officer Morse, a 25-year veteran of the department, being able to see Batson again was one of the highlights of his career.

“Anytime you get to meet someone you’ve helped over the years is really a special experience,” Officer Morse said. “It was quite a surprise to see her after all this time and I’m very glad she was able to achieve sobriety and is doing well with her daughter and son.”

Chief Pace commended Officer Morse for his compassion.

“As police officers it’s not everyday that someone takes the time to say ‘thank you’ and we don’t expect any thanks,” Chief Pace said. “But when I heard about Ms. Batson thanking Officer Morse, it’s one of the many things that makes you enjoy getting up and go to work in the morning.”

Town Manager Brian Howard echoed Chief Pace’s sentiments saying, “What a great role model Officer Morse is. He did his job and he did it with compassion. It’s also fantastic to see where Ms. Batson is today and that she is helping people through her job at the Community Center. I am glad that they got to connect after all these years.”

Batson says she wants to continue to pay it forward by helping people who may be in a similar situation she was in eight years ago.

“If I can get sober anybody can,” she said. “I was in a really bad way for a really long time. There’s always hope and it’s never too late. If anyone is struggling and they need someone to talk to they can always reach out and talk to me or come by the Community Center and I would be glad to talk. And I owe Officer Morse for my ability to do that.”

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Woburn District Court Holds 13th Annual H.E.A.T. Conference

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Woburn Police Department

Woburn Police Department
Chief Robert Rufo
25 Harrison Ave.
Woburn, MA 01801

For Immediate Release

Monday, June 24, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]pr.net

Woburn District Court Holds 13th Annual H.E.A.T. Conference

WOBURN — More than 250 leaders in public health, law enforcement and addiction recovery came together on Friday for the 13th Annual Woburn District Court Heroin Education Awareness Task Force (H.E.A.T.) Conference.

The Friday, June 21 conference was held at the Hilton Boston/Woburn, and featured presentations on a variety of addiction treatment and recovery methods, including medications for opioid use disorder, 12-step recovery programming, post detox continued support and services, jail diversion efforts and overdose mapping technology.

The H.E.A.T. program was founded by Vincent J. Piro and Michael P. Higgins, of the probation department of Woburn District Court and the police departments of the seven cities and towns under its jurisdiction, including Woburn, Burlington, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Wilmington and Winchester.

“Each year, this conference brings together the people who are leading the charge to prevent addiction and help people recover,” said Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo. “H.E.A.T. has done a phenomenal job providing a platform for people to turn to in order to learn about substance use and the treatments available. The opioid crisis is as critical as ever, and it’s crucial that communities come together to respond, educate and help those in need.”

Piro began the conference by thanking all those that have supported H.E.A.T., as well as recognizing the work being done by treatment recovery programs and initiatives, local police departments and the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office to help those struggling with substance use.

“I think everyone in this room has the same goal when we talk about making a difference, saving lives,” Piro said. “And that’s really the goal of our program.”

Higgins, Billerica’s substance abuse coordinator, stressed the importance of researching the recovery programs and detox beds that patients are referred to, emphasized the importance of recovery coaches and also discussed the frequent connection between substance use and mental health concerns.

“We feel mental health ties directly with addiction and substance abuse,” Higgins said. “And sometimes you don’t know which one it is. Is it mental health or substance use?”

Higgins said mental health has become a key part of the follow up work he does for the Billerica Police Department.

Colleen Labelle, director of the Office Based Addiction Treatment (OBAT) Training and Technical Assistance Program for the state of Massachusetts, discussed various available medications for opioid use disorder that can be used to treat patients. Labelle stressed, however, that solutions for recovery vary widely from person to person, and that reducing stigma is essential to making people feel comfortable seeking help.

“This is the single most stigmatized disease of our time,” Labelle said. “When we do stigmatize it, judge it, we isolate people and make people afraid to come to treatment….when we stigmatize, people die.”

Louie Diaz, a navigator for the Middlesex County Sherrif’s Office, shared his story of substance use and how a prison sentence served as the catalyst for his recovery. He told those at the conference that there are many people in recovery, although their stories aren’t always heard.

“There are people recovering,” Diaz said. “There are guys leaving prisons, jails and never coming back. But you don’t hear those stories. People aren’t interested in those stories…there are people recovering. The recovering community is huge.”

Brian Teague, director of Michael’s House Sober Living and Patrick’s House Sober Living, shared the impetus behind Patrick’s House Sober Living in Andover and stressed the importance of supporting those struggling after they detox and undergo treatment.

“Folks who stay in sober living longer are much more likely to succeed when they leave a program,” Teague said. “We wanted to find a way where we could bridge the gap and make sure individuals could stay in a supportive, structured community, but have the opportunity to demonstrate a little more independence when it comes to their recovery. That’s the difference between being in treatment and in recovery.”

Additional speakers at the conference included Matthew Page-Shelton, Jail Diversion Clinician serving the towns of Tewksbury, Billerica, Chelmsford and Dracut, and Roy Frost, Deputy Chief of the Billerica Police Department.

H.E.A.T. is sponsored by Woburn District Court and the seven police departments served by the court, the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services and AdCare Educational Institute.

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Easton Educators to Attend Conference on Substance Use Prevention in Montana

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Easton Public Schools
Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent
50 Oliver St.
North Easton, MA 02356

For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Easton Educators to Attend Conference on Substance Use Prevention in Montana

EASTON – Superintendent Lisha Cabral is pleased to share that Oliver Ames High School Principal Wes Paul and health teacher Justin Tienhaara will attend the Montana Summer Institute conference next week.

The conference will be held from June 24-28 in Big Sky, Montana. The Montana Summer Institute invites public health professionals, teachers, administrators and others from across the nation to learn how to build healthy, resilient communities by focusing on the positive and celebrating healthy behaviors.

The conference and trip is part of a partnership between Easton Public Schools and Easton Wings of Hope to prevent youth substance use. Easton Wings of Hope is a community coalition that strives to help guide Easton’s youth toward making healthy choices that are recognized, valued and accessible to all. Its mission is to prevent youth substance use through education, awareness and policy change.

The trip is part of Easton Wings of Hope’s first positive community norms campaign. By focusing on positive community norms, Wings of Hope and Easton Public Schools will work together to help Easton’s youth choose to be healthy and substance-free.

Superintendent Cabral would like to thank the Wings of Hope coalition for funding the trip and entry to the conference.

Recognizing positive community norms is an approach used by Dr. Jeff Linkenbach, of the Montana Institute. The approach is used to transform public health by emphasizing the healthy behaviors that are already present in a community. This is achieved by addressing misconceptions and stigmas surrounding unhealthy behaviors, such as youth substance use.

“I am hoping that this conference will provide educators with a variety ways that we can further celebrate and reinforce the good that we have in our community and school system,” Principal Paul said. “We want to empower our students to have a strong influence on one another when it comes to the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle with positive life choices.”

To learn more about Easton Wings of Hope, visit www.eastonwingsofhope.org. For more information on the Montana Summer Institute, visit www.montanainstitute.com.

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P.A.A.R.I. Receives $930,000 Grant from South Shore Health

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

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

P.A.A.R.I. Receives $930,000 Grant from South Shore Health

Funding will Support Access to Behavioral Health Services in Plymouth County

PLYMOUTH — Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) Executive Director Allie Hunter is pleased to announce that P.A.A.R.I. has been awarded a $930,000 Integrative Behavioral Health grant by South Shore Health.

South Shore Health awarded $2.4 million to nonprofit groups this spring to support behavioral healthcare in Plymouth and Norfolk counties. P.A.A.R.I. was one of two nonprofit groups selected to receive a five-year grant for $930,000 this cycle.

The grant will support a new partnership between P.A.A.R.I. and Plymouth County Outreach (PCO), a collaborative of 28 police departments throughout the region. Over the next five years, P.A.A.R.I. will work with PCO to implement a “hub model” throughout the county to expand the behavioral health services available to the community, and coordinate outreach visits for individuals identified as being at acutely elevated risk due to substance use and/or mental health issues.

“This first-of-its-kind grant program through South Shore Health reflects our organization’s deep commitment to promoting good health within the community and by removing barriers to accessing behavioral healthcare for the most vulnerable among us,” said Gene E. Green, president and CEO of South Shore Health. “Congratulations to P.A.A.R.I. for being named a grantee. We are excited to see the impact this initiative will have in our communities.”

“P.A.A.R.I. has had many successful partnerships with PCO, and we are thrilled to embark on this latest initiative to support our local law enforcement partners to address behavioral health needs in Plymouth County,” Hunter said. “We are incredibly thankful that South Shore Health has chosen to support our plan to improve access to behavioral health services on the South Shore.”

“Behavioral health issues are a huge concern, and not just in Plymouth county– these issues are affecting communities everywhere,” said Plymouth Police Chief Michael Botieri, a member of the P.A.A.R.I. Law Enforcement Council. “We’re fortunate that this grant has been awarded to support behavioral health programming locally to help those who are struggling.”

The “hub model” aims to assist those struggling before they reach a crisis point, and to connect the community to a variety of much needed behavioral health services.

“We’ve seen great success with the hub model in communities like Chelsea, Lawrence and Boston, and are looking forward to putting in place a system that will connect those in need to additional services and support,” Hunter said. “This grant will allow us to address a wide umbrella of behavioral health issues in addition to substance use, including mental health concerns.”

“This is monumental as it will allow for PCO to spearhead an innovative Public Health 3.0 initiative –a first in the U.S.,” said Dr. Nate Horwitz-Willis, director of public health for the town of Plymouth. “This grant will help us address complex substance use challenges seen across our law enforcement, healthcare, and public health communities. We collaboratively look forward to addressing these challenges with best practices and scholarly evidence from all three fields that use primary, secondary, and tertiary equitable prevention approaches with a dynamic team of experts and leaders.”

“The time has come where we need to closer examine the crossover between drug addiction and mental health,” said Scituate Police Chief Michael Stewart. “We are all concerned with the rise in mental health cases.”

The grant will fund the hiring of a full time P.A.A.R.I. hub coordinator who will be based in Plymouth County for the next five years, and will oversee the program.

“Plymouth County Outreach is so fortunate and appreciative to partner with P.A.A.R.I. on expanding our county collaboration, bringing an Integrated Behavioral Health approach to our existing model,” said East Bridgewater Police Chief Scott Allen, a member of the P.A.A.R.I. Law Enforcement Council. “We can’t address substance use and mental health disorders in separate silos.”

About P.A.A.R.I.

The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, coaching, grants, and other capacity-building resources to more than 465 police departments in 33 states.

We currently work with more than 120 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. P.A.A.R.I. and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved thousands of lives, changed police culture, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic. Learn more at www.paariusa.org.

 

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