Since 2003, scores of people have died on the Southcoast from opiate overdoses and unfortunately that trend continues to increase. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, through a federal SAMHSA grant, has mobilized community coalitions to address this issue. Pathways and Partners is a collaborative informational forum that brings people from New Bedford and Fall River areas together to learn how to address this critical issue. A forum on June 26, 2009 held at White's Restaurant brought together over 100 stakeholders, providers, consumers, and family members to learn up-to-date information on the statewide effort to reduce overdoses and an opportunity to share ideas. Unintentional (i.e., non-suicidal) fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses are the leading cause of injury death in Massachusetts surpassing the number of deaths from motor vehicle injuries. Efforts to reduce these numbers are the focus of MassCALL2, a planning and program implementation grant funded by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS). Click here for photos of the initial planning session and here for a subsequent session. For more information about the project, contact Project Coordinator Jenna Lagasse at 508-324-2415.