First-Ever Reports Show Profound Impact of Opioid Epidemic on Massachusetts Economy, Workforce, and State Budget

RIZE News

December 20, 2018

Two reports commissioned by The RIZE Massachusetts Foundation, an independent nonprofit foundation committed to achieving zero stigma and zero deaths related to opioid use disorder, show that the opioid epidemic is taking a profound toll on the state’s economy, workforce and state budget.  The reports, the first of their kind, also provide recommendations on how employers can help employees with opioid addiction by increasing access to treatment and recovery.

“Our economy and workforce are strong today, but as these reports show, the opioid overdose epidemic is having an increasingly negative impact on our businesses, employees, and state budget.  Over time, these impacts will threaten our financial stability and ability to compete in the global marketplace,” said Julie Burns, executive director of RIZE Massachusetts.  “The results of these reports make the case that businesses should create recovery-friendly workplaces that will save lives and contribute to ending the human and economic toll caused by this epidemic.”

One report, The Massachusetts Opioid Epidemic: An Issue of Substance, was produced by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-backed public policy organization focused on state and local fiscal, tax, and economic policies. The full report can be read here.

The report brings forward first-time data on the negative economic impacts caused by opioid use disorder, including:

  • Opioid use disorder cost Massachusetts businesses $4.7 billion in 2017 in lost productivity, presenteeism (going to work despite being unable to fully function), and excess health care costs.
  • Massachusetts’ gross state product, a measure of economic output, would have been 12 percent higher than actual growth if not for opioid-related losses in productivity.
  • The opioid epidemic cost the state budget more than $1.8 billion in areas like the Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Children and Families, and the criminal justice system.
  • Opioid use disorder cost the health care system in Massachusetts nearly $1 billion in 2017.
  • Opioid use disorder is costing municipalities across the Commonwealth more than half a billion dollars a year in first-responder and opioid-related police costs.

“By exploring and explaining the economic and fiscal impacts of opioids on the state, we hope this report catalyzes greater urgency and engagement from all segments of our society in the battle against the scourge of this epidemic – particularly among Massachusetts employers,” said Eileen McAnneny, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

The other report, Opioids in the Workforce, was produced by the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.  It provides data on the impact of opioid use disorder on the Massachusetts workforce and provides a set of recommendations for employers.  The full report can be read here.

The Opioids in the Workforce report shows that:

  • Employers mistakenly believe that opioid use disorder has a small impact on the employed population. However, 55 percent of people with opioid use disorder are full-time employees and 37 percent are on their employers’ commercial insurance.
  • Stigma is a major impediment to employees struggling with opioid use disorder taking advantage of employee benefits that could assist them and to companies creating a workplace conducive to long-term recovery.
  • Half of white men 25 to 54 years old who were out of the labor force report chronic pain and daily use of opioid pain medications.

Opioids in the Workforce includes specific employer recommendations, including:

  • Engage senior leadership in supporting a stigma-free and recovery-friendly workplace.
  • Apply careful analysis and attention to the unique needs of each workplace.
  • Engage with health plans and treatment providers to influence the quality of treatment provided to employees with opioid use disorder.
  • Eliminate barriers to treatment by removing co-pays and prior authorization for medicines and counseling related to opioid use disorder.
  • Work with prescription benefit managers to help limit access to opioids and identify problematic prescribing patterns.

“Employers can play a unique role in addressing the opioid crisis in Massachusetts,” according to one of the report authors Constance Horgan, ScD., Professor and Director at the Institute of Behavioral Health, Brandeis University. “This study provides employers with examples of ways to implement and improve effective approaches.”

Position Summary

Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership (Mosaic), funded by the MA Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and powered by RIZE Massachusetts Foundation (RIZE), is a partnership like no other. It is a unique, public-private collaboration designed to support initiatives that are addressing the opioid overdose crisis in communities that have been historically underserved and have experienced a high rate of opioid-related overdose deaths.

The funding for Mosaic comes from the Massachusetts Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF), which resulted from the historic legal effort to demand justice from several private companies for the harms caused by the opioid epidemic. This is one of the first public-private partnerships of this magnitude using settlement funds for community-led initiatives.

In partnership with BSAS and municipalities receiving opioid abatement funds, RIZE manages the Municipal Training and Technical Assistance (Muni TTA) Program. This program aligns with Mosaic’s mission to ensure that opioid abatement funds are invested and remain in the communities most deeply impacted by the crisis while also fueling transformative change through grassroots, community-led efforts.

The Muni TTA project manager provides project management, data, and operational support, ensuring the Muni TTA Program runs smoothly, is well documented, and is grounded in data. This role translates program strategy into concrete workplans, tracking systems, and reporting products, and provides day-to-day task direction to the program coordinator on project deliverables.

RIZE seeks someone for this position who is passionate about ending the overdose crisis and unafraid of new ideas. Success will require a positive, can-do, learning mindset and a collaborative, team-oriented approach. We are looking for candidates who understand how complex and interconnected issues, such as funding, data systems, and municipal government structures, intersect with addressing the overdose crisis.

The project manager supports the implementation of the Muni TTA workplan and Salesforce data infrastructure, coordinates monthly and quarterly reporting, provides project management support to four regional community advisory boards (CABs), and manages the logistics and content pipeline for the program's webinar series and newsletter. This position reports to the chief program officer (CPO) and works closely with the senior program officer (SPO).

 

Key Responsibilities

1. Workplan & Data Management

  • Oversee the Muni TTA workplan and Asana project management structure across six program goals: Proactive Outreach; Communications and Engagement; Quality Assurance and Team Development; Evaluation and Reporting; Intermunicipal Collaboration and Partnerships; and Community Advisory Boards. Monitor and keep progress, and identify risks or adjustments needed to keep deliverables on track
  • Set and monitor Salesforce data quality standards, oversee the Mosaic Muni TTA dashboard in coordination with the program coordinator, and produce reports; identify data quality issues and recommend adjustments to tracked metrics as the program evolves.
  • Monitor case documentation and tracking; compile monthly quality-review summaries for senior management review.
  • Support municipal capacity assessments by synthesizing results, identifying gaps, and helping the SPO draft action plans that reflect program priorities and municipal needs.

2. Reporting & Leadership Support

  • Compile regular qualitative reports, drafting the consolidated narrative of outcomes, barriers, and strategic adjustments for the SPO to finalize.
  • Develop regular progress updates, data summaries, and briefing materials for senior leadership, translating program activity and outcomes into clear talking points for internal review and external stakeholder discussions.
  • Coordinate senior leadership meeting preparation by identifying needed inputs, shaping agendas around key decisions, and ensuring materials are ready for review and follow-up. Coordinate post meeting follow-up.
  • Participate in cross-sector coordination meetings as needed to support data, reporting, or project management needs.

3. Community Advisory Board & Event Support

  • Provide project management for CAB implementation tracking progress and outcome metrics.
  • Direct administrative support for CABs, including materials preparation and outreach coordination.
  • Coordinate logistics, timelines, materials, follow-up, and slide preparation for regional and statewide presentations, meetings, and events.

4. Communications & Content Pipeline

  • Project-manage Mosaic TTA webinars: in coordination with the program coordinator maintain the topic and speaker pipeline, coordinate scheduling and logistics, and track post-session evaluations.
  • Project-manage Muni TTA bulletin and newsletter production, coordinating content collection, drafting, and oversee program coordinator with distribution timelines, and tracking engagement analytics.
  • Direct the program coordinator's development of training materials and slide decks; review for quality and program alignment before routing to senior leadership for approval.

 

Qualifications

Required

  • Strong organizational and time management skills
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and virtual meeting platforms
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred

  • Experience in public health, behavioral health, or harm reduction
  • Familiarity with workforce development initiatives
  • Experience supporting coalitions or multi-partner collaborations
  • Experience working with communities disproportionately impacted by substance use and overdose

Core Competencies

  • Commitment to harm reduction philosophy and health equity
  • Cultural humility and trauma-informed approach
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
  • Strong interpersonal skills and collaborative mindset
  • High level of discretion and professionalism
  • Bachelor's degree in public health, public administration, business, or a related field and a minimum of five years of relevant experience; or a master's degree and a minimum of two years of experience.
  • Demonstrated project management experience, ideally within a public health, government, or nonprofit setting.
  • Strong data and systems management skills; experience with Salesforce, or a comparable CRM/database strongly preferred.
  • Experience managing workplans, timelines, and reporting cycles.
  • Experience with supervision preferred.
  • Excellent written communication skills, including experience drafting reports and briefing materials for review by senior staff.
  • Proficiency with Salesforce, Asana, Microsoft Office 365, and virtual conferencing platforms; familiarity with Canva, WordPress, and Constant Contact a plus.
  • Knowledge of the Massachusetts opioid settlement funding landscape and municipal government structures preferred.

Skills, Abilities, Attributes

  • Strong organizational skills and sound judgment in a fast-paced, small-team, collegial environment.
  • Comfortable managing competing priorities and shifting timelines with minimal oversight.
  • Demonstrated track record of sustained high-quality, independent work in fast-paced environments.
  • Effective relationship-builder able to coordinate across internal teams and external stakeholders.
  • Ability to exercise discretion in handling confidential or sensitive information.
  • Motivated by a keen sense of mission and values with a willingness to embrace and actively support RIZE's agenda.

Work Environment

The Municipal TTA project manager is a full-time, hybrid role. RIZE is in downtown Boston; travel, primarily in-state, will be required for meetings and events as needed. This role may require evening and occasional weekend work.

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