Mayor Walsh, City of Boston recognize National Recovery Month

Mayor Martin J. Walsh is inviting residents to join him for a series of virtual events marking September as Recovery Month, a national observance that aims to combat the social stigma around addiction, celebrate recovery and promote overall awareness.

"This year has been a hard one for everyone, especially for those struggling with substance use or in recovery," said Mayor Walsh. "During this month each year, we celebrate those who've found their path to recovery, remember those we've lost to this disease and provide hope to those still struggling with substance use disorder. With support and treatment, we know people can recover and get their lives back on track."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Recovery Month events are being held virtually this year. The events are free and open to all to attend, and include:

Tuesday, September 22, 2020: 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Massachusetts Opioid Screening and Awareness Day: virtual town hall event where participants will learn from experts about opioid misuse and treatment, and will be able to take a free, anonymous, online screening for themselves or a loved one. For those who screen positive or have concerns about opioid use, there will be referrals to local treatment resources. Click here to sign up for the free town hall. If you would prefer to dial in to the town hall, click here for the access code.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020: 9:30 a.m. - 4 .p.m. MOAR 30th Annual Recovery Day Celebration: hosted by Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery and Friends, Mayor Walsh will provide remarks during the Recovery Day celebration featuring speakers, comedians, and artists. Click here to register.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020: 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Working with CORI and Recovery Virtual Panel: The Mayor's Office of Workforce Development, the Mayor's Office of Public Safety and the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services is hosting a virtual panel to discuss workforce opportunities for residents who are in recovery and impacted by criminal records (CORIs). The panel is part of a series of events facilitated by Project Opportunity, a City of Boston pilot initiative to help residents seal, expunge, and manage their CORIs to gain access to better jobs, housing, and educational opportunities. The panel is free and open to the public, but requires registration. Information on how to register will be made available here before the panel.

For more events, please visit boston.gov/recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic represented sudden challenges for those suffering from substance use disorder and those who provide treatment and support, such as closure of daytime services, reduced access to treatment and shelters, increased releases from jails and prisons, closure of courts, reduced options for public safety interventions, and closure of public restrooms and access to bathrooms, which led to coordinated efforts from many City departments, to quickly address them.

"COVID-19 created new challenges as we suddenly faced this global pandemic in the midst of the opioid epidemic. We remain committed to helping people struggling with substance use disorder access the care they need and to find their path to recovery," said Jennifer Tracey, director of the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services.

All City services remained operational during the public health emergency with adaptations made to programming to maintain physical distancing and ensure public safety measures. This includes greatly expanded outdoor space at the Engagement Center (located behind the 112 Southampton Shelter) to maintain guest capacity, the addition of six handwashing stations in Downtown Boston, the shifting of outpatient services to telehealth, and implementation of additional COVID-19 screening, testing, and infection control measures at shelters and residential programs.

"In Boston, our recovery services team continued their essential work to provide life-saving care to the people of Boston throughout COVID. They remained committed, day and night, to support those who need them the most. We thank them for their compassion and dedication even in these trying times," said Marty Martinez, Boston's Chief of Health and Human Services.

Mayor Walsh, who has been in recovery for more than 20 years, has made expanding access to recovery services in Boston a priority. In his first term, he created the Office of Recovery Services to lead the city's strategy around substance use disorder, addiction and recovery. This is the first municipal recovery office in the nation.

The City has taken a comprehensive approach to tackle the opioid epidemic. The City serves people in all stages of the continuum of care, from youth prevention and support for families, to providing harm reduction services to ensure people can maintain health in various aspects of their lives, to connecting people to treatment, to offering outpatient care and long-term peer support.

The City of Boston is planning an innovative and holistic recovery campus on Long Island that will expand essential recovery services for the region, fill gaps in the continuum of care and utilize the natural environment to provide a healing space. The City has contracted with Gensler and Ascension Recovery Services to identify the types of services, resources and treatment options that would be best suited for the island and create a master plan for the recovery campus. The draft design for the Long Island bridge was completed earlier this year.

Continuing these efforts, the City of Boston filed a complaint in Suffolk Superior Court against 13 opioid manufacturers, four distributors, and one local doctor that have contributed to the local opioid epidemic through misleading marketing and reckless dissemination of opioids that has led to the deaths of more than 897 Boston residents since 2015. As part of the litigation, the City is seeking to recover both past and future damages and injunctive relief associated with addressing the opioid epidemic in Boston.

For more information on recovery services in Boston, please visit boston.gov/recovery or click here.

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