Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $2.9 Million to 20 Diverse Organizations to Address Substance Use

Boston — The Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded $2.9 million to 20 organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to address substance use in the communities they serve, which continue to be disproportionately impacted by increases in overdoses.  

The grants are the first to be awarded through the Redefining Community Wellness program, a new initiative intended to support BIPOC-led organizations committed to addressing substance use disorder, including by focusing on underlying social, economic, and environmental conditions that can put people at greater risk for substance misuse. Additionally, this funding will help the organizations expand their substance use program capacity to improve their ability to qualify and apply for future grant funding through the Department of Public Health (DPH). 

Recognizing that communities of color often have inadequate access to culturally responsive substance use programs and that underserved communities experience higher rates of poor health, DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services developed the program last year in partnership with Health Resources in Action (HRiA) and in collaboration with a community advisory board comprised of BIPOC residents and organizations. 

“Our administration is deeply committed not only to preventing overdoses in our state, but also providing the incredible organizations doing the work in communities with the tools they need to improve health outcomes and save lives,” said Governor Maura Healey. “By investing in these diverse organizations now, we are laying the foundation for them to have the resources they need to address the overdose crisis appropriately and quickly in the future.” 

“So many cities and towns throughout the state have been devastated by the overdose crisis,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This initial round of awards helps these organizations address the root causes of the overdose epidemic and take action to prevent further harm.” 

“Centering health equity and preventing overdose deaths is extremely important not only to our administration, but to the people who are impacted by the loss of their friends, family members, and loved ones,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh. “Instead of merely making decisions for the communities that are impacted most by substance disorder, we look to these organizations for their leadership and hope they can help us make it so that substance use programming is more accessible and culturally sensitive, especially since our data shows where it is needed the most.” 

“Improving equity in access to programs and services, especially for residents struggling with substance use disorder, is a priority for DPH. This initiative intentionally centers voices and organizations from Black and Brown communities and leverages a culturally sensitive approach to reducing structural and institutional barriers to programs and services,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Substance use disorders and the devastating overdose crisis continue to shatter far too many families in Massachusetts. We must invest in evidence-based, equitable solutions that can help restore hope and rebuild lives.” 

Each organization will receive up to $145,000 over 17 months from February 2024 through June 2025. The funding will support programming to address substance use directly – through overdose prevention, intervention, and recovery services – or indirectly by focusing on social determinants of health, including addressing housing, job, and food insecurity and other basic needs. Services will prioritize communities of color, with additional focus on people who do not speak English, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQ+, people who are unhoused, and people who were previously incarcerated.  

By helping the organizations build their program capacity, the Redefining Community Wellness initiative also aims to improve the grantees’ ability to qualify for future grant opportunities through DPH, which ultimately helps increase diverse representation within the Department’s grant award process. 

“We recognize the disturbing reality that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have inadequate access to substance use programs and are disproportionately affected by policies that do not respond to, or consider their specific needs,” said DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services Director Deirdre Calvert. “We launched the Redefining Community Wellness grants program to address this challenge and to support a wide variety of community-led programming.”  

Redefining Community Wellness grant program awardees:  

• African Cultural Services, Inc. - Waltham serving the Metrowest region 

• B FREE Wellness – South Yarmouth serving the Southeast region 

• Black Behavioral Health Network, Inc. - Springfield serving the Western region 

• Calvary Pentecostal Church – East Freetown serving the Southeast region 

• Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell (CMAA) - Lowell serving the Northeast region 

• Chastity’s Consulting & Talent Group – Boston serving the Boston and Central regions 

• Choice Recovery Coaching, Inc. - Springfield serving the Western region 

• Dwelling House of Hope, Inc. - Lowell serving the Northeast region 

• Follow My Steps Foundation, Inc. - Springfield serving the Western region 

• Future Hope Apprenticeship and Recovery Program – Boston serving the Boston region 

• Latin American Health Alliance of Central Massachusetts – Worcester serving the Central region 

• Mandela Yoga Project, Inc. - Boston serving the Boston, Northeast and Central regions 

• Merrimack Valley Dream Center, Inc. - Lawrence serving the Northeast region 

• MotherWoman d/b/a Women of Color Health Equity Collective – Springfield serving the Metrowest and Western regions 

• SaveSouls, Inc. - Canton serving the Northeast region 

• Sueños Basketball – Lawrence serving the Northeast region 

• Talbot Avenue Church of Christ – Milton serving the Boston and Southeast regions 

• Transformational Prison Project – Boston serving the Boston region 

• Urban Impact Initiative Massachusetts – Springfield serving the Western region 

• Vietnamese American Civic Association, Inc. - Dorchester serving all regions in Massachusetts 

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