February 8, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Revere, MA
Contact: Katie Sugarman, Assistant Director
Revere CARES Coalition
300 Ocean Avenue
Revere, Massachusetts 02151
(781) 485-6404
cmsugarman@partners.org
Community Leaders Gather to Address Opioid Overdose Crisis
On January 31, 2013, more than 120 community leaders attended the North Shore Opiate Overdose
Summit to discuss the opioid overdose crisis along the North Shore of Massachusetts. This event
aimed to create connections and dialogue amongst the public officials and private organizations that face
the impact of overdose everyday.
According to the MA Department of Public Health, between 2003 and 2008, more than 4,000
Massachusetts residents died from opiate-related overdoses, and many communities north of Boston
continue to lose lives every month to overdose. The Revere CARES Coalition, in collaboration with the
MGH Center for Community Health Improvement and the communities of Revere, Saugus and Winthrop,
brought leaders together to raise awareness about the crisis facing communities and share examples of
community strategies to decrease opiate use and abuse.
Among the many notable leaders at the event were State Representative Donald Wong of Saugus, Revere
Mayor Dan Rizzo, Winthrop Town Manager James McKenna, and Saugus Town Manager Scott Crabtree.
Additionally, leadership from several local police and fire departments were in attendance, including
Winthrop Police Chief Terence M. Delehanty , Revere Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli and Revere Fire
Captain Jay Picariello, who presented about the department’s first responder Narcan pilot program.
During the event, participants to listen to a personal story from a family member who lost a loved one to
an opiate overdose, as well to an inspirational story from an individual in recovery from opiate addiction.
A data presentation from the MA Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services also
illustrated the importance of addressing this issue since unintentional deaths from opioid overdoses
now surpass motor vehicle related deaths in Massachusetts. Small group panel presentations covered
a wide range of opiate-related topics, including an overview of possible overdose prevention strategies
and a discussion of how substance abuse prevention coalitions, schools, and families can work together to
try to prevent youth substance abuse before it begins.
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At the conclusion of the event, participants were invited to begin to take action to expand awareness and
education of this issue across all sectors of each community and to strengthen collaboration among health
care providers, treatment agencies, law enforcement, court systems and elected officials. There appeared
to be agreement amongst summit participants that, in order for individuals to obtain recovery from opiate
addiction, community members need to be more aware of what resources and interventions are available
to them, and the barriers to accessing these resources must be addressed.
A second regional summit for youth and community members will be held on Thursday, March 14
from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Kowloon Restaurant on Route 1 north in Saugus. Additional details will be
posted on the Revere CARES website (www.reverecares.org) in the coming weeks. For questions about
this summit series, please contact Katie Sugarman at cmsugarman@partners.org.
The North Shore Overdose Prevention Summits are sponsored by the Revere CARES Coalition, the
Saugus Anti-Drug Coalition, Saugus We Care, and Community Against Substance Abuse, Inc. (CASA)
of Winthrop, the City of Revere, the Town of Winthrop, the MGH Center for Community Health
Improvement, and the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery.
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About the MGH Revere CARES Coalition
The mission of the Revere CARES coalition is to strengthen the health of Revere by: Addressing
priorities established by community members; utilizing an environmental approach; advocating for
evidence-based, culturally competent strategies, programs and services; and increasing connectedness
among individuals and organizations. The goal of the coalition is to improve the well-being of Revere’s
residents by preventing substance abuse and promoting healthy eating, active living, and healthy
relationships. Revere CARES Coalition is a program of the MGH Center for Community Health
Improvement. www.reverecares.org
About the Center for Community Health Improvement (CCHI)
CCHI www.massgeneral.org/cchi carries out its work in Chelsea, Revere, and Charlestown, where MGH
has maintained healthcare centers for more than 40 years, as well as in Boston among youth, homeless
persons and seniors. CCHI has partnered with the communities it serves to assess needs and create more
than 38 programs that:
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Reduce and prevent substance abuse
Intervene in the cycle of violence
Tackle the obesity epidemic by increasing access to healthy food and physical activity
Increase access to care for vulnerable populations such as immigrants and refugees, seniors, and
homeless people
Prevent cancers through early detection and screening
Generate interest in science and health careers among youth