The Massachusetts HEALing Communities Study will host a faith community forum on opioid use and overdose prevention on Thursday, May 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Saint Barnabas’s Episcopal Church, 91 Main St. in Falmouth, with complimentary dinner and refreshments provided by Wolf Pizza from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The forum, free and open to the public, will provide information about the many pathways available to face the challenges of opioid addiction and ways to provide resources to those struggling with substance use disorder.
This event is being hosted by the Rev. Will Mebane of Saint Barnabas’s Episcopal Church and Rabbi Elias Lieberman of the Falmouth Jewish Congregation, and will feature personal stories of recovery from community members. A panel discussion will feature Sarah Bagley, MD, Boston Medical Center; Nancy Regan, Nurse Practitioner and Manager of Substance Use Disorder Program, Community Health Center; Kate Lena, Substance Use Prevention Program Manager, Barnstable County Human Services; and Jeff Rose Sr., Recovery Coach, Community Health Center. The Community Harm Reduction and Treatment (CHART) mobile van will also be at the event and will offer an optional naloxone training to those interested in learning how to reverse an opioid overdose.
This program is part of the Bourne and Sandwich HEALing Communities Study-Massachusetts Coalition, convened by Boston Medical Center and sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This study aims to decrease opioid-related fatalities in Bourne and Sandwich and 15 other Massachusetts communities. To learn more about this study, and other programs to help individuals with substance use disorders, visit www.HEALTogetherMA.org/Barnstable
For more information about the event or to RSVP, email Anna Martin at anna.martin@bmc.org.
