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The Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region

A community collaboration model (i.e. coalition) in Western Massachusetts that provides a comprehensive action plan for the opioid problem, bringing together the vital stakeholders in a community 

Established in 2013, the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the Northern Quabbin Region works to reduce heroin and prescription opioid addiction and prevent overdose deaths in its rural region of Massachusetts. 

The Opioid Task Force includes a 20-member Executive Council and five working committees that focus on a range of initiatives in the areas of:

  • education and prevention
  • healthcare solutions
  • law enforcement and justice
  • housing and workforce development
  • treatment and recovery

The Task Force partners with a wide range of public and private organizations to further its prevention, treatment, intervention and recovery goals.  

Examples of Task Force efforts in these areas include:

  • initiatives to provide and train a range of individuals in administering Narcan
  • strategies to help rural health care providers reduce overprescribing of opioids
  • support for syringe access programs and peer-led recovery programs
  • expanding educational and training opportunities for individuals in recovery

Collaborating with over 400 public and private partners in the region.

Continuum of Care
Full continuum of care
Prevention
Treatment
Recovery
Harm Reduction
Type of Evidence
Report with evaluation
Response Approach
Comprehensive services
Diversion
Early Intervention
Educational
Family Support
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
Overdose prevention
Related Resources
The Communities That Care Coalition Model for Improving Community Health through Clinical–Community Partnerships: A Population Health Case Report
An Assessment of the Sustainability and Impact of Community Coalitions once Federal Funding has Expired
Development of a Community Readiness Survey for Coalitions to Address Prescription Opioid Misuse
Community Forums to Address the Opioid Crisis: An Effective Grassroots Approach to Rural Community Engagement
Addressing the Opioid Crisis through Community Prevention: An Application of the Seven Strategies for Community Change
Building Successful Partnerships between Law Enforcement and Public Health Agencies to Address Opioid Use
RxStat: A Public Health and Public Safety Collaboration for Responding to Problem Drug Use at the Municipal/County Level
OTF_AnnualReport2016_17-FINAL_lores.pdf

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

“The Opioid Task Force’s Progress, July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017. This year was a pivotal one for the Opioid Task Force, as it: Hired a new coordinator; Moved into new offices at the Franklin County Justice Center; Convened all five of Task Force’s committees to work on a range of strategic activities and projects to strengthen the region’s prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery efforts; Held four Community Listening Forums involving nearly 150 people to learn about the continued impact of opioids and other substances in our rural area; Helped secure a $2.1M, 5-year SAMHSA grant to implement the MISSION-Hope Program, which will expand the services of the Franklin Family Drug Court; Collaborated with the Franklin Regional Transit Authority to secure a $150,000 New Freedoms Grant; Awarded nearly $73,000 in community grants; Helped administer the Intercept Zero Project, where over 250 individuals participated in focus groups, interviews, and a mapping event; Donated over 200 Thanksgiving turkeys to organizations and families in need; Helped develop a Franklin/Hampshire County Good Samaritan and Safe Storage Campaign; Held five trainings across the county on how to administer NARCAN; Provided 236 doses of NARCAN to first responders; Provided trauma training to members of the Franklin Count Family Drug Court; Supported the introduction of Refuge Recovery into the region; Disseminated nearly 2,000 of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Substance Abuse Prevention Resource Directory; Sponsored an Active Bystander Trainer, offered by Quabbin Mediation with The RECOVER Project; Offered members of the community information about Task Force volunteer opportunities; Launched educational and training initiative for individuals in recovery in partnership with Greenfield Community College; Published 25 newsletters sent to approximately 700 members every two weeks to keep them informed of the Task Force’s efforts’; Engaged 6,505 individuals through the Task Force’s social media channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) about our work.”

(from: Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the Northern Quabbin Region. July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017 Annual Report.)