Braintree committee uses MMA’s Opioid Task Force report as roadmap

A newly formed special committee of the Braintree Town Council is using the MMA’s report on the ongoing opioid epidemic as a roadmap for action, with a particular focus on education and prevention efforts.
 
Councillor Dan Clifford, who proposed the creation of the town’s Special Opioid/Heroin Local Action Committee, said the committee will hold nine meetings this spring that parallel the budget cycle. Each meeting will bring in departments and groups – from public safety and the school district to recreation and youth services – asking them to identify areas where they can help in the fight against the opioid epidemic, along with any funding that may be needed.
 
Clifford said the starting point for discussions will be the 10 recommendations for local leadership laid out in “An Obligation to Lead,” the report by the MMA’s Municipal Opioid Addiction and Overdose Prevention Task Force that was released at the MMA Annual Meeting in January.
 
“When [the MMA’s] ‘Obligation to Lead’ report came out, that looked to be a roadmap that we could use that came from a reputable organization, and the task force team itself had tremendous people on it,” Clifford said. “In particular, what was really striking was the statement on the front page and the last sentence: ‘This is more than an opportunity. This is a moral duty that all of us who are privileged to serve in local government must embrace fully.’”
 
With state resources available to help addicts, Town Council Chair Sean Powers said the committee will focus on prevention and education.
 
“We’re going to be focusing on ways to make sure they don’t become addicts, and that starts at a much earlier age,” Powers said. “It starts with educating our parents to look for signs. It’s a partnership with our police department.
 
“And we’re going to use the MMA report as a roadmap to make findings, get information, and see ways we can make existing programs even better – and maybe come up with some new programs that we haven’t taken a look at yet.”
 
Mayor Joseph Sullivan said Braintree has taken a number of steps to address the opioid epidemic, including becoming one of the first communities to equip both first responders and school nurses with naloxone (Narcan), a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The town is also in a regional compact with Quincy, Stoughton and Randolph, and surveys students about drug abuse.
 
“I do think there are some at least early on who tried to push it off and said, ‘It’s not here in Braintree, it’s not in my town.’ It is. It’s in every town,” Sullivan said. “Kids are being captured at an earlier age than we ever thought possible. We need to be aggressive in our approach.
 
“The Narcan … is a defensive mode. It’s the saving of a life,” the mayor continued. “Once we administer the drug, we then take the opportunity to talk to the individual and let them know how serious their situation was. … We’re on the offense when it comes to awareness, education, coordination.”