Quaboag Hills Substance Use Task Force to Mark Anniversary with Dinner

WARE — The Quaboag Hills Community Coalition’s Substance Use Task Force will mark its one-year anniversary with an educational community dinner to be held on Tuesday, June 30. The free dinner will be hosted by the United Church of Ware, 49 Church St., starting at 6 p.m.

The dinner will include guest speakers Dr. Amanda Wilson from Clean Slate and the three district attorneys from Hampden (Anthony Gulluni), Hampshire (David Sullivan), and Worcester (Joe Early Jr.) counties, who serve the 15 communities in the Quaboag Hills area. Local resources and services for families coping with drug addiction, including the Carson Center and Learn to Cope, will also participate. Space is limited. Reservations must be made in advance by calling (413) 967-6241, ext. 211.

The Substance Use Task Force was established in July 2014 after a community dinner sponsored by the Carson Center and Baystate Mary Lane Hospital drew a large crowd. Afterward, representatives from healthcare, law enforcement, municipalities, schools, businesses, and families affected by addiction and concerned about the growing impact of the opioid epidemic came together to establish the task force.

The goals of the task force are to prevent and reduce substance misuse and addiction; contribute to reductions in health problems resulting from addiction, including deaths from overdose, injuries, and chronic illnesses; and increase treatment and recovery rates through community education and expanded access to support services for individuals and families.

The task force continues to meet monthly and has sponsored community and professional-education programs to train prescribers in safe opioid prescribing practices and community members in the use of nasal Narcan as an overdose antidote. It has also created a local resource guide for people to find help. For more information, visit qhcc.weebly.com.