- Office of the Attorney General
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Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary
Boston — Building upon her commitment to combat the opioid epidemic, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced today the creation of a new Advisory Council on Substance Use. The Council will play a critical role in advancing the work of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to address the opioid crisis and support families and communities who have been affected.
“Far too many families in communities across Massachusetts have felt the profound and devastating impacts of the opioid crisis,” said AG Campbell. “My office is doing everything in its power to combat the effects of drugs and opioids, from holding pharmaceutical manufacturers accountable, to prosecuting drug traffickers and launching this advisory council, which will convene subject matter experts and those with lived experiences to better guide us in our fight against substance use.”
The Council will provide input on the AGO’s policy work focused on substance use, treatment, harm reduction and legal protections for people in recovery. The Council will also bring attention to emerging issues and expand partnerships with community-based organizations focused on substance use.
By bringing together subject matter experts in harm reduction, treatment, prevention and recovery, as well as individuals with personal and professional experience working with unsheltered individuals, people who use drugs, and victims of trafficking, the Council will uplift the voices of those directly impacted by the opioid epidemic and provide space to share lived experiences with the AGO.
“I am honored to join the Advisory Council on Substance Use and to collaborate with Attorney General Campbell and other leaders in advocating for the health and well-being of our Western Massachusetts communities,” said Dr. William Soares, Emergency and Addiction Medicine Physician at Baystate Medical Center. “Through my work in emergency and addiction medicine, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic. I’m encouraged by the Attorney General’s leadership in convening this statewide Council and look forward to working collectively to improve the lives of those affected by substance use disorder.”
“I’m happy to be of service on the Advisory Council,” said Gabriel Quaglia of Folding Chair Project and SADOD. “The voices of people who use drugs and people who work on the front lines of the overdose crisis are often lost. I have always been proud to be from Massachusetts, which as a Commonwealth looks to serve the common good. I feel advisory councils such as this give people who are too often forgotten a voice in their governance and how the application of law affects them on a practical as well as personal level.”
“I am thankful for the opportunity to serve on this Council, a role that holds deep personal meaning for me, shaped by my own lived experience with chaotic substance use and the many challenges that came with it,” said Mark Jachym, Medical Respite Program Manager and Harm Reduction Coordinator for Clinical Support Options. “My journey has not only shaped who I am but continues to drive my harm reduction work to help build a community rooted in support, safety, and dignity.”
The Advisory Council on Substance Use held its first meeting on April 14th, 2025, and will meet on a regular and ongoing basis.
The current list of Council members are:
- Dick Alcombright, Board Chair for Berkshire Health Systems and Former Mayor of North Adams
- Pedro Alvarez, Director of Harm Reduction Operations for Tapestry Health
- Paul Alves, Executive Director and Founder of Choice Recovery Coaching Inc.
- Nicole Arnold, Recovery Nurse for Holyoke Medical Center and Relief Nurse for Friends of the Homeless, Clinical Support Options
- Gordon Bullard, Co-Founder of CCB Foundation, Inc. and of CORE Peer Recovery and Resource Center of Gloucester
- Dr. Avik Chatterjee, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor at Boston University and Physician at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
- Dallas Clark, Founder and Director of Cultivating Better Minds Inc, Freedom Living House and Greater Springfield Recovery Café Network
- Magda Colon, Regional Manager for Learn to Cope West
- Jamie Davis, Community Engagement and Harm Reduction Program Manager for the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University
- Sarah DeJesus, Director of Berkshire Harm Reduction of Berkshire Medical Center
- Audra Doody, Co-Executive Director of Safe Exits Initiative
- Kate Donaghue, Parent of Loss Due to Overdose
- Dina Faverau, Billerica Select Board and Chair of the Billerica Substance Use Prevention Committee
- Daniel Harper, Founder of Eliza’s Watch
- Mark Jachym, Medical Respite Program Manager and Harm Reduction Coordinator for Clinical Support Options
- Dr. Miriam Komaromy, Executive Director for Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center Health System and Professor of Medicine at Boston University
- Kate Lena, Senior Technical Associate, Harm Reduction for JSI
- Kathleen Mooney, LICSW, Clinical Director for High Point Treatment Center
- Phaedra Moore, Peer Recovery Specialist for Boston Medical Center’s Project RESPECT
- Eliza Morrison, Director of Harm Reduction Services at AIDS Support of Cape Cod
- Lori Palazzi Gonsalves, President and Founder of Cory’s Cause, Inc.
- Gabriel Quaglia, Servant Director, Folding Chair Project
- Noel Sierra, Executive Director of MOAR
- Dr. William Soares, Director of Harm Reduction for Baystate Medical Center
- Tj Thompson, Program Coordinator and Overnight Lead Operator for SafeSpot Overdose Hotline of Boston Medical Center
Members of the Advisory Council on Substance Use were selected based on their expertise, knowledge, and experience in the field of substance use, commitment to serving individuals with substance use disorders, demonstrated excellence in the field, connections to their community, and compassion for those who use drugs in the Commonwealth. Additional members may be appointed in the face of the ever-changing landscape of the opioid epidemic.
The creation of the Council is AG Campbell’s latest action to address the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. The launch follows her January announcement that she, along with a bipartisan coalition of states and other parties, had reached a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company, Purdue Pharma, for their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis. Up to $108 million of those settlement funds are set to be distributed to Massachusetts which will help deliver funding to support treatment, prevention and recovery efforts across the Commonwealth.
The Advisory Council on Substance Use will be managed by Erika Hensel, Project Manager for Opioid Response.
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