Brendan Fitzpatrick
28 September 2023
News

Mass. Investing in Overdose Prevention Hotline

$350,000 in state funding will be used to establish the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline

Ajay Suresh

BOSTON - $350,000 in state funding will be used to establish the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline, a resource officials say will be the first hotline of its kind funded by a state government in the country.

Governor Maura Healey announced the expansion of the initiative, which is a partnership between Boston Medical Center and RIZE Massachusetts. Since the helpline began in 2020, operators have remained on the line with people who are using and have contacted first responders if the caller is unresponsive.

With the investment, the program will be able to hire additional paid staff members while also promoting the service’s benefits.

State officials reported that overdose fatalities in Massachusetts reached an all-time high last year, as 2,357 deaths due to overdoses were reported.

The Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline can be reached at 800-972-0590. More details can be found on their website.

Further articles

We wanted to learn more about the locally-based Tasty Harvests, a project that started following the COVID-19 outbreak and has since become a staple of local gardening education.

Esta semana no The Frame: um projeto de lei que proíbe o uso de celulares em escolas públicas foi aprovado pelo Senado Estadual, planos para celebrar o Festival de Framingham em outubro estão em andamento e um olhar sobre a Tasty Harvests: um marco na educação sobre jardinagem na comunidade.

This week on The Frame: a bill that would ban phone usage in public schools is approved by the State Senate, plans to celebrate Framingham Fest in October are underway, and a look at Tasty Harvests: a staple of gardening education within the community.