Baystate Noble Hospital Awards $60,000 to Address Substance-use Disorders

WESTFIELD — Baystate Noble Hospital announced grant awards totaling more than $60,000 to three local community agencies following a fiscal year 2021 legislative earmark to focus on prevention and treatment of opioid-related substance-use disorders in the communities served by the hospital. Opioid and substance-use disorders were identified as significant health needs in Baystate Noble’s 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment.

The programs supported by the hospital’s grant investments include CORE of Greater Westfield ($20,000) for support of its regional health information exchange website, Tapestry Health ($20,848) for its harm-reduction videography project, and West Springfield Health Department ($19,720) for its DART enhancement project.

These grant investments were made possible following an earmark in the FY21 state budget by state Sen. John Velis to support public-health-related programs and initiatives that reduce health disparities, promote community wellness, and increase access to prevention, treatment, recovery, and referrals for people with opioid and substance-use disorders in the hospital’s service area.

“I know how important it is to provide critical resources to our community-based organizations to carry on the work of battling substance use and addiction,” Velis said. “As we move out of the pandemic, the impact of the ongoing opioid crisis continues to motivate my work in the Massachusetts State Senate on behalf of my constituents in the Second Hampden and Hampshire District.”