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Welcome to the e-Newsletter from Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council. This newsletter is designed to provide timely information on substance abuse and other related topics for people living and working in Barnstable County.
This publication will be sent out periodically to our mailing list. Please forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues who may be interested in this information. If you are not on our mailing list, you can join by clicking on the button to the left.
If you have information you would like included in future e-newsletters, please follow the submission instructions outlined at the bottom of this page.
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| NEWS FROM THE BARNSTABLE COUNTY REGIONAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL | | 
Barnstable County Commissioners Appoint Co-Chairs to Regional Substance Abuse Council
The Barnstable County Commissioners recently appointed three individuals to serve as co-chairs of the Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council. The Commissioners appointed Beth Albert, Director of the Barnstable County Department of Human Services, Cheryl Bartlett, Executive Director of the Office of Community Health at Cape Cod Healthcare, and Ray Tamasi, CEO and President of Gosnold on Cape Cod to co-chair the Regional Council.
Formed in 2014, the Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council brings together a diverse group of over thirty five stakeholders including town representatives, healthcare, elected officials, people in recovery, law enforcement, treatment providers, health centers, employers, town coalitions, faith community, and others.
County Commissioner Sheila Lyons, who convenes the Regional Substance Abuse Council, said "Barnstable County realizes the importance of public-private partnerships that support a coordinated effort to leverage resources to plan and implement a regional action plan to address substance use . Over the last 18 months, using a public health planning process, we have been working closely with key stakeholders, towns, and groups across Cape Cod in creating a regional action plan. The combined skills and assets that we bring to bear as a regional partnership will reduce the magnitude and severity of harm related to substance use on Cape Cod."
In March 2015 the Regional Substance Abuse Council released a Baseline Assessment of the Impact of Substance Use on Cape Cod. A Regional Action Plan was adopted in August 2015 and work is underway to implement that plan. Barnstable County has also received two grants from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to work with towns to address the opioid epidemic and to work with several school districts on substance abuse prevention initiatives.
Visit www.BCHumanServices.net for more information about the RSAC, a list of RSAC Representatives, and to download a copy of the Baseline Assessment and Regional Action Plan.
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| FROM THE STATE HOUSE | |  Update to the Governor's Action PlanIn June of this year, Governor Baker's Opioid Task force released their recommendations for the state. This week, they have released an update of the work done so far in their action plan. See the update at the Stop Addiction website, here.
Governor Baker Files New Substance Use Legislation
BOSTON - Continuing the series of initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic, Governor Baker today unveiled legislation to provide medical personnel with the power to intervene with patients suffering from addiction, control the spread of addictive prescription opioids and increase education about substance use disorder (SUD) for providers and in the community.
The bill, titled "An Act Relative to Substance Use Treatment, Education and Prevention," contains several additional provisions developed by the Governor's Opioid Working Group to address prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery. Read more ...
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| IN THE HEADLINES | |  Mashpee Cares Educated On Regional Substance Abuse "Action Plan"MassLive - The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a $360.3 million supplemental budget to close the books on the 2015 fiscal year, which ended in June. The House agreed with Baker's request to set aside $27 million for new substance abuse treatment services, as a way to address a growing crisis of opioid addiction in the state.
Boston Globe - Looking to help stanch addiction where it often begins, the wide-ranging bill would limit practitioners to prescribing no more than a 72-hour supply of opioids to patients the first time they prescribe an opioid to them, with exceptions only for certain limited emergencies.
WCVB - The Massachusetts Democrat said the bill instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to come up with the best approach for diagnosing and treating "neonatal abstinence syndrome," and helping states collect data on the problem. |
| FROM THE ELDER ABUSE PREVENTION PROJECT | |  Heroin Abuse and Elder AbuseIn the Spring of 2014, fresh from the successful creation of the Arlington Elder Abuse Prevention Task Force, the Elder Abuse Prevention Project (EAPP) moved on to help set up a similar elder abuse prevention coalition in the town of Woburn.
There were over a dozen community stakeholders present at the first meeting, and as we went around the table most of the providers thought that financial exploitation was the primary issue that we should focus on. When we got to a group of four elderly women sitting together, I was initially shocked when they suggested that heroin addiction was truly the most important issue.
They went on to describe how the lives of their friends and family had been devastated by the heroin crisis, which has hit Massachusetts particularly hard. Since that first meeting, EAPP has heard numerous stories in other communities about the interconnection of elder abuse and the opioid abuse epidemic. Continue reading ... |
| TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES | |  Sustainability and Resource Planning
Thursday, November 19th
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
West Boylston, MA
Topics: ABC's of Sustainability Planning, role of stakeholders, use of sustainability template tool.
Audience: Coalition leaders and partners planning or in the process of implementing community health initiatives, including policy and systems change.
More information and registration here.
Building Coalition Capacity & Infrastructure
Thursday, November 19th
1:00 - 4:00 PM
West Boylston, MA
Topics: Organizational structure/governance; roles/responsibilities; decision-making structures; conflict resolution; membership recruitment, engagement, and retention, facilitation.
Audience: Coalition leaders and members, teams, and partners working towards community health.
More information and registration here.
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| FROM THE WHITE HOUSE | |  Nominate a White House Champion of Change for Advancing Prevention, Treatment, and RecoveryThe White House is seeking your help to identify people who have made an extraordinary difference by advancing prevention, treatment and recovery.
Last week, the President traveled to West Virginia to host a community conversation with health care professionals, law enforcement officers, community leaders, individuals, and families affected by the epidemic of prescription drug abuse and heroin use.
Prescription drug abuse and heroin use have taken a heartbreaking toll on too many Americans and their families, while straining law enforcement and treatment programs. Read more ... |
| NEWS FROM GOSNOLD ON CAPE COD | |  Guiding Good Choices
Gosnold has recently trained staff members in Guiding Good Choices, an evidence-based parenting education for parents of middle-school-aged children with an emphasis on drug education and prevention and how parents can best guide their young ones toward healthy decision-making. It is a four week program, the dates are 10/20, 10/27, 11/3, and 11/10 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at Nauset Middle School. For more information, please view the flyerhere.
Resiliency Training (REST)
REST is a mindfulness-based counseling group for individuals ages 25 and older experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression. Meets every Tuesday 5:30-7:00pm, starting November 3rd - December 22nd at Gosnold Counseling Center, 681 Falmouth Road, Deer Crossing Plaza, Second level Mashpee, MA 02649. View the flyer here.
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| FROM SAMHSA | |  Reducing Stigma: How We Talk About it Matters
Every day the media helps influence public attitudes and opinions. It matters how behavioral health conditions are covered by journalists, screen writers, editors, producers, and others in the news and entertainment industries.
That's why the Carter Center in consultation with behavioral health experts, former journalists, and bloggers launched the "Resource Guide for Reporting on Behavioral Health: How You Talk About It Matters."
This guide provides relevant and useful information to the media about mental illness and substance use disorders and includes tips and supporting facts that can help ensure that representations of mental illness and substance use disorders are fair, balanced, and accurate. |
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BARNSTABLE COUNTY REGIONAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL
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The next meeting of the Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council is scheduled for:
Thursday, December 3, 2015 - 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Harborview Conference Room in the Barnstable County Complex, 3195 Main Street, Barnstable Village
These meetings are open to the public. Meeting agendas are posted publicly on the Barnstable County website, in front of the Barnstable Superior Courthouse, and are available upon request.
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| E-NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE | | |
Did you know that a full archive of the previous editions of this e-Newsletter are available on the Barnstable County Human Services Department website?
View past editions of the Regional Substance Abuse Council e-Newsletter and the Human Services Department e-Newsletter at www.bchumanservices.net and click on "E-Newsletter". |
| MUTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS | |
For a downloadable PDF version of the information listed below, please click here.
 Learn to Cope
Learn to Cope is a support group for parents, family members, spouses, and caregivers who have a family member who is addicted to opiates, alcohol, or other drugs.
Learn to Cope offers experienced facilitators, resources, informational material, guest speakers (in long term recovery or professionals in the field), overdose education, and Narcan enrollment at all weekly meetings.
Weekly meetings are held on Tuesdays 7:00-8:30 PM at the Yarmouth Police Station, One Brad Erickson Way. For more information call (508) 738-5148 or visit their website.
Parents Supporting Parents  Parents Supporting Parents is a group of people who have come together as parents and family members coping and dealing with children/loved one's addiction.
Their mission is to support, strengthen, and educate one another as they share their lives. Their goal is to help their loved ones find and live in recovery, and for all members to live a healthy lifestyle.
Weekly meetings are held on Monday 6:30-8:30 PM at
Mashpee Chamber of Commerce,
02649. To learn more, view the Parents Supporting Parents Facebook page. Mothers Helping Mothers
Mothers Helping Mothers is a support group for women struggling with the emotional difficulties associated with addiction and recovery during the pregnant and postpartum phases of life.
Free childcare is provided during the meetings by The Children's Study Home. Anyone planning on attending the meeting and needing childcare is asked to call ahead. All ages are welcome.
Weekly meetings are held every Tuesday 7:30-9:00 PM at the John Wesley Methodist Church in Falmouth at 270 Gifford Street and every Monday 5:30-7:00 PM at the Federated Church in Hyannis at 320 Main Street.
For more information, contact Deborah at (774) 392-0446 or Danielle at (508) 209-7533.
|  Alateen
Alateen is a fellowship of young Al-Anon members, usually teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking.
Nar-Anon
Nar-Anon Family Groups is a twelve step fellowship that offers a recovery program for those affected by someone's addiction. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative or friend.
Nar-Anon is adapted from Narcotics Anonymous and uses Nar-Anon's Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts.
Weekly meetings are held Friday nights 6:00-7:00 PM at St. David's Episcopal Church in South Yarmouth. For more information, visit the Nar-Anon website.
Gosnold Family Support Groups
The Gosnold Reaching Out program is a resource for family members and loved ones affected by addiction. It assists the family at all stages of addiction through education, intervention, and support. Information and Education Forums help family members gain a basic understanding of the signs and symptoms of addiction, treatment options, and stages of recovery. An educated and supportive family has a positive impact on treatment outcomes.
Tuesday 6:00-7:30 PM
Gosnold Counseling Center
1185 Falmouth Road
Centerville, MA 02632 | Wednesday 6:00-7:30 PM
Gus Canty Community Center
790 Main Street
Falmouth, MA 02540
| Sunday 11:00-12:30 PM
Scituate Senior Center
27 Brook Street
Scituate, MA 02066 | Sunday 4:00-5:00 PM
(Educational Group)
Falmouth Hospital - Faxon Center
100 Ter Heun Drive
Falmouth, MA 02540 | Monday 6:00-7:30 PM
Harwich Police Department
183 Sisson Road
Harwich, MA 02645
| Wednesday 6:00-7:30 PM
(Grief and Addiction)
Gosnold Counseling Center
1185 Falmouth Road
Centerville, MA 02632
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For more information, contact Mary Fisher, 844-558-4357, mfisher@gosnold.org.
Other Resources
Al-Anon - The primary purpose of Al-Anon is to help families and friends of alcoholics. Members of Al-Anon learn to live happily whether the alcoholic continues to drink or not. We learn that alcoholism is a disease and that we are not alone.
Alcoholics Anonymous - Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem.
Narcotics Anonymous - NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean. This is a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using.
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| MASSACHUSETTS SUBSTANCE ABUSE HELPLINE | | |
For tens of thousands of Massachusetts resident struggling with alcohol and other drug related issues, (800) 327-5050 is an important number.
The Massachusetts Substance Abuse Information and Education Helpline provides free and confidential information and referrals for alcohol and other drug abuse problems and related concerns. The Helpline is committed to linking consumers with comprehensive, accurate, and current information about treatment and prevention services throughout Massachusetts.
Services are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Language interpreters are always available.
For online service and more information, click here.
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By visiting one easy-to-remember website address, HealthyConnectedCapeCod.org users can link to:
- BCHumanServices.net - Our flagship website highlights community announcements, updates from our regional partners, and Department reports and publications
- Behavioral Health Portal - Features mental health and substance abuse information, state and federal legislation, self-help guides, and a robust directory of services
- Health and Wellness Portal - Provides an overview of health data about our region, including County health rankings, and model practices
- Mass211 Service Directory - Links users to essential resources and a basic needs service directory
- Human Services e-Newsletter - Spotlights regional events and pertinent news for our community
 A healthy community is a connected community, so check out some of the information you'll be connected to on HealthyConnectedCapeCod.org today! |
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E-NEWSLETTER ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
| | To submit materials, please contact Samantha Kossow at SAC@barnstablecounty.org and include the following information:
- Descriptive Title
- Brief Description of the Content
- Relevant attachments, submitted in PDF or text format
- Website link if available
- Contact information of the person submitting the information the contact person for the event
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Posting of articles submitted for publication in the Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council E-Newsletter is at the discretion of the Department. All articles must be submitted in text format to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request this newsletter in alternate formats, please call Kathie Callahan at (508) 375-6628 or TDD at (508) 362-5885.
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