Springfield's share of the state sought opioid agreement is a little bit more than 7 million dollars. The Mayor last night said the money will be used by the Health Department, Police and Fire to increase response to overdose cases and enhance Narcan training among public safety officials among other things.
Mayor Sarno said last night, “The damage inflicted by the opioid crisis to Springfield’s most precious resource, our residents, has been tremendous and will take Herculean efforts from the city, nonprofits, our community partners and stakeholders to repair. I want to thank Attorney General Maura Healey for her leadership and efforts in holding these pharmaceutical companies accountable for contributing to this opioid crisis. We all have or know of a family member or friend that has been affected by the scourge of opioids. Some beat it but some do not.
The Health Department will use the money to study the trends which will allow them to act faster to issues in the community, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Helen Caulton Harris.
"We will look at the data, look to expand successful programs, include the community of users and people in recovery to close gaps and increase communication and help identify treatment options and facilitate referrals. The Springfield Department of Health and Human Services want to be inclusive with all of those in the community to help address the feelings of social isolation, exclusion and identify the root causes of substance abuse and inequities. This funding will help enhance our response plan to identity hurdles and create opportunities to implement initiatives and programs to help save lives,” according to the Secretary.
The Fire Department has a game plan for the money according to
Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi, “The Springfield Fire Department will utilize the funding from the City of Springfield’s opioid settlement agreement to purchase new equipment and supplies for our firefighters. SFD will create two full-time response teams that will be trained, equipped and ready to respond to any opioid overdoses and other calls for service. By having these two dedicated specialized units we will increase service in the busiest overdose areas and decrease response times while allowing more resources for all calls citywide.”
And, Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood has a plan for the money as well. “The goal for the Springfield Police Department is to increase the ability of the individual officer on patrol to rapidly and effectively respond to an opioid overdose through increased training, improved accessibility to necessary equipment and strategically deploying officers to areas of high overdose activity. Additionally, continued training, software and adding another Crime Analyst for our Real Time Crime Analysis Center, which serves as a major role for how the Police Department and Fire Department responds to an opioid related incident, would help our efforts in responding and working with our healthcare professionals."
The money will be paid to the city over a 15 year period.
Photo: John Baibak, WHYN News