What is the Opioid Task Force?

We invited the Opioid Task Force to give an overview of who they are, what they do, and how community members can get involved in their work. Thanks to Tess Jurgensen for providing this information!

Formed in September 2013, the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region (Opioid Task Force) has over 300 community members working together to help reduce opioid and heroin addiction, prevent overdose deaths, and improve the quality of life in the region. The Task Force supports and implements a range of substance use prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery initiatives through five working committees:

Education and Prevention
Healthcare Solutions
Housing and Workforce Development
Law Enforcement and Justice
Treatment and Recovery

The Task Force’s structure is based on a collective impact model. This means that the coalition’s success relies heavily on the support, input and participation of individuals and groups from a wide range of community sectors. For example, the Task Force works closely with schools, treatment providers, hospitals, law enforcement, court officials, individuals in recovery and faith based communities, among other groups, to support our goals and projects. To learn more about our work and projects from the last year, read our 2017 Annual Report online.

How can you become involved?

There are a number of ways to get involved with the Opioid Task Force and help your community become a safer, healthier place to live:

Join one of our five working committees. All committee meetings are open to the community and no commitment or expertise is required to participate. We want to hear from everyone! Most committees meet monthly or bi-monthly in Greenfield, but a list of all meeting dates for the coming year can be found on the Task Force’s website calendar.

Sign up to be a volunteer. The Opioid Task Force wouldn’t be able to do its work without the support of dedicated community members. Anyone is welcome to join the Volunteer Committee, whom we contact when additional support is needed for Opioid Task Force events and initiatives. For example, volunteers have helped represent the Task Force at the Franklin County Fair and recently helped sort through items collected at our June 23 Toiletry Drive to support individuals in recovery and/or re-entering the community post-incarceration. If you’d like to sign up to be a volunteer, please email info@opioidtaskforce.org or call (413) 775-7474.

Sign up for our newsletter. Signing up to receive the Opioid Task Force’s electronic newsletter is another great way to stay up-to-date on past and current work, partner events, community trainings and more. Click here to sign up or email info@opioidtaskforce.org. Click here to review past newsletters.

Do you want to learn more?

Connect with the Task Force on social media! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram or Twitter, or visit our website for more information about our work:

The Opioid Task Force office is located in the Franklin County Justice Center (43 Hope St, Greenfield, MA 01301) on the ground floor inside the Court Service Center. If you happen to be in town, feel free to stop by and introduce yourself!