Prepared by Debra L. McLaughlin, Coordinator, Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region
1) Increased distribution of Narcan to first responders by Tapestry in collaboration with the Opioid Task Force.
- Email narcan@opioidtaskforce.org to obtain Narcan. Calls or texts can also be made to Tapestry’s Mobile Outreach Line at 413-221-7722 between 10 AM - 2 PM, Monday through Friday.
2) Temporary quarters for Emergency Court Hearings set up at the FCSO, 160 Elm Street, Greenfield, MA.
3) Continued reports of fatal and non-fatal opioid and other drug overdoses in the region, especially in the North Quabbin remains a significant concern.
4) Continued reports of deaths by suicide and suicide attempts.
5) Continued reports of individuals in mental health crisis. Crisis services calls are down but have capacity to respond to calls. Reports of people feeling “fatalistic” that they will get COVID-19, no matter what they do.
6) Access to services for the most vulnerable and those who are unhoused continues to be a challenge across the region, especially in Greenfield where a minimum of 40 individuals are seen by Tapestry’s mobile outreach team.
NOTE: OTF has sharps containers in our office, with their inserts, that we could distribute for free to any municipality.
7) Uneven access to PPE, telephonic and telehealth services due to lack of phones, SIM cards, other technology (e.g. computers) and Wi-Fi for program participants and patients remain an issue.
- OTF created a resource sheet of available public Wi-Fi hotspots to share broadly in the community, which can be found here.
8) Detoxes, residential treatment, and supportive sober housing facilities remain generally open, with increased COVID-19 screening procedures for staff and residents. Separate areas are being set-aside to isolate individuals, as needed.
9) DCF continues to report the removal of children due to opioid and substance misuse and overdoses.
10) Coalitions/family resource centers serving families report increased family stress, especially for parents in early recovery.
11) PPE for non-medical human service providers continue to be an issue.
- OTF continues to track PPE needs as part of its work with three agencies saying they will run out of masks within 1-3 weeks (7-21 days) depending on use.
12) One agency reported two resolved COVID-19 cases, with them back to work.
CLICK HERE for the full OTF report.
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