BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey’s office announced on Wednesday, Aug. 21, that $3.75 million in grants issued to 18 grassroots organizations to support the fight against the opioid epidemic.
The grants are the first issued through the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership (Mosaic), a program which supports communities and populations that have been historically underserved and have experienced a high rate of opioid-related overdose deaths.
A collaboration of the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and RIZE Massachusetts collaborated to develop the program for equitable allocation of Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF) grants.
Funds for the Mosaic program come from opioid-related settlements with companies involved in the pharmaceutical industry. The state intends to dedicate $5 million per year for the next 18 years, about 18 percent of total opioid settlement funds, to locally led initiatives to address the harms caused by the opioid epidemic.
“Too many Massachusetts families have been devastated by the impacts of substance use disorder and we have been doing everything in our power to reduce overdoses and save lives,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These awards underscore our commitment to equitable access to necessary resources for prevention, recovery, and treatment programs in communities disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic.”
Three organizations in Worcester County, all in Worcester, will receive funding from the grants. Those organizations are:
- AIDS Project Worcester, Worcester
- Safe Exit Initiative
- Uhai for Health Inc.
Additional organizations issued grants in this round of funding are:
- Access HOPE, Mashpee
- Black Behavioral Health Network, Springfield
- Camp Happy Place, Barrington
- Centro De Ayuda Y Esperanza Latina, Bedford
- Choice Recovery Coaching Inc., Springfield
- Extreme Kid, Inc., Springfield
- Fishing Partnership Health Plan/Fishing Partnership Support Services, New Bedford
- Hilltown Youth Recovery Theater, Charlemont
- Harm Reduction Hedgehogs (HRH413), Northampton
- South Shore Peer Recovery, Scituate
- The Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Massachusetts, Boston
- The Psychological Center, Lawrence
- The Sun Will Rise, Braintree
- Torch Light Recovery, Boston
- Troubled Waters Inc./Bridge Club of Greater Lowell, Lowell
