Watertown receives grant to address opioid abuse
Watertown is one of the communities in Massachusetts currently working at a local level to address opioid abuse and overdose. Watertown has partnered with Somerville, Cambridge and Everett, for a regional approach to reduce opioid abuse and overdose under the Mass Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative (MOAPC) Grant Program funded through the Mass Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services.
One of the overdose prevention strategies the cluster is working on includes sharing resources and information with our communities. Groups such as “Learn to Cope”, are an outlet where families and friends of loved ones struggling with heroin and opioid addiction can come together to share important knowledge and support each other. Promoting information about the Good Samaritan Law is another way to help reduce opioid overdose. The Good Samaritan Law helps to reduce the fear of calling 911 by offering protection from prosecution for possession of substances at the scene of an overdose. Dying from an opioid overdose is preventable. Calling 911 could save someone’s life. Other overdose prevention strategies include training police officers and firefighters to use Narcan, a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose as well as promoting the drug take-back kiosk, located at the Watertown Police Department. Due to the rise in prescription pain medication abuse and heroin addiction, communities are responding to increased crime rates, and increased needs for resources and treatment. Families can take steps to protect themselves by monitoring prescription medications in their homes and removing unused or expired medications.
For more information about opioid and other substance use and recovery:
Support for parents and family members dealing with a loved one addicted to heroin:
Drug Take Back Box: