As overdoses continue to rise
in Fall River, a new Addictions Help Center opened at Government Center on April
27, 2017 that will give persons of concern and family members an
opportunity to speak directly with providers without waiting. The Center,
which serves the Greater Fall River Area, expects to operate on a monthly
basis as long as it's meeting the need. "We've had more than twenty
providers who can provide services immediately," said Recover
Fall River organizer Laurie Godwin. "This is an effort to break
down barriers," she added. Twenty to thirty people walked through the
doors in the first ninety minutes, according the Fall River Substance
Abuse Grants Coordinator Michael Aguiar. Opioids
and other drugs have produced a crisis among Massachusetts families, and
other organizations such as Recover Fall River and Learn 2
Cope work to help family members deal with the crisis of family
members who get involved with opioids. Fall River has seen a steady
rise in overdose deaths over the past several years, with numbers
moving to over seventy deaths in 2016. Click
here for a two-minute 
video of the event. Click
here for photos and video of the City's new Opioid Task Force. For more information, contact
Michael Aguiar at 508-324-3598. |
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(Top row) Recover
Fall River organizer Laurie Godwin talks with people at one of the
tables before she poses for a photo with City
Substance Abuse Grants Manager Michael Aguiar. (Top row, right) Seven
Hills Behavioral Health staff members Louisa Jorge, Giovanna Borges,
Carolyn Claiborne and Kristen Korn are available to offer their
resources. (Row two) Erica Scott-Pacheco and City Councilor Richard
Cabeceiras look over information at one table, while Certified ARISE
Interventionist Marie Pelletier of Stanley
Street Treatment and Resources and Linda Botelho of Learn 2
Cope are available to speak with family members. (Row three)
Stephanie Perry of theSaint Anne's Hospital Emergency Department
responds to someone's questions. (Bottom row) Banners announcing the
Opioid Task Force's Recovery Connection Team's phone numbers hang from
the Government Center balcony at a
previous event. |
