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Massachusetts Municipal Opioid Abatement Conference 2025

May 27

Please join us for the second annual Massachusetts Municipal Opioid Abatement Conference, hosted by the Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) and Care Massachusetts.

 

Massachusetts Municipal Opioid Abatement Conference Agenda

 

Time Topic Event Type Breakout / Panelist Topic Speakers
9-9:15 am Opening Remarks Full Group N/A Kiame Mahaniah and Julia Newhall, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
9:15 – 10:30 am Abating the harms of the overdose crisis: A discussion with people with lived and living experience Full Group – Panel N/A Andi Macone (Moderator), BSAS
Julio Meran, Merrimack Valley Dream Center
Derek Reynolds, HEALing Communities Study Community Advisory Board
Jane Kimani, Uhai for Health, Inc.
10:30 – 10:45 am Break
10:45 – 11:45 am Laying the groundwork for effective use of opioid abatement funds Breakout Sessions The State Subdivision Agreement and strategies for managing and spending funds Kate Lena, Care Massachusetts / JSI
Cheryl Sbara, Care Massachusetts / Massachusetts Association of Health Boards (MAHB)
Needs assessment and strategic planning Allyson Pinkhover, Holbrook Board of Health
Prioritizing and selecting strategies Hannah Tello, Greater Lowell Health Alliance
11:45 am-12:45 pm Promoting collaboration within and between municipalities Full Group N/A Jenn Robertson, Care Massachusetts / MAHB
Phoebe Walker, Franklin Regional Council of Governments
12:45-1:15 pm Lunch Break
1:15-2 pm Networking sessions with municipal peers Breakout Sessions Getting started Carly Bridden, Care Massachusetts
Assessment and planning Wini Bakshi, Care Massachusetts / JSI
Implementation and program management Guillermo Ronquillo, Care Massachusetts / JSI
2-3 pm
(Two 30 min rotations)		 Recommended and non-recommended opioid abatement strategies Breakout Sessions Beyond absintence-only prevention curricula: Introduction to Safety First Bonnie Halpern-Felscher, Stanford Medicine
Why not Opvee? The research behind long-acting opioid antagonists Mark Jachym, Clinical & Support Options
Weighing the pros and cons of naloxboxes vs. harm reduction vending machines Sarah DeJesus, Berkshire Harm Reduction
Multiple pathways to recovery and investing in the recovery community Danielle O’Brien, BSAS
First responder safety and the facts about fentanyl: SHIELD and SHIELD 2.0 Leo Belesky, The Action Lab at the Center for Health Policy and Law
3-3:15 pm Break
3:15-4:15 pm Innovative strategies for using opioid abatement funds Full Group – Panel Boston Family Overdose Support Fund Christian Arthur, Boston
Plymouth Grant Making Initiative Michelle Bratti, Plymouth
Greenfield Opioid Commission / Advisory Board Mike Theroux, Greenfield
4:15-4:30 pm Closing Remarks Full Group N/A Deirdre Calvert, BSAS
Julia Newhall, BSAS

Details

Date:
May 27