Foundations Support UMass Memorial Health Prescriber Training to Expand Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

RIZE News

September 19, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Alanna Fusco, RIZE Massachusetts Foundation
Phone: (857) 991-1195; Email: alanna.fusco@rizema.org

Foundations Support UMass Memorial Health Prescriber Training to Expand Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Grants from The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Reliant Foundation and RIZE Massachusetts Aim to Increase Access to Life-Saving Buprenorphine; Free Training for Physicians, Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners Regardless of Clinical Affiliation

WORCESTER, Mass.
September 19, 2023

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, in partnership with Reliant Foundation and RIZE Massachusetts, today announced $153,824 in combined grant support for a UMass Memorial Health project aimed at advancing prescriber education and opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in primary care settings throughout Central Massachusetts. The goal of this work is to increase access to OUD treatment for patients and to train multidisciplinary providers in both OUD treatment and overdose prevention.

Treatment of OUD in a primary care setting addresses it as a chronic health condition that can be treated like high blood pressure or diabetes. Seeking treatment in a primary care office can lower mortality, minimize stigma and improve overall health. One effective treatment is prescribing buprenorphine. To increase access to this life-saving treatment, the federal government retired previous educational requirements for buprenorphine prescribing. However, use of buprenorphine has not increased as rapidly as hoped, in part due to lack of provider familiarity and experience with the use of buprenorphine and treatment of OUD.

In Central Massachusetts, the number of overdose-related death continues to climb, particularly in communities of color and rural communities. Statewide, opioid-related deaths reached an all-time high of 2,357 in 2022, an increase of 2.5% from 2021, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. By encouraging more prescribers to incorporate OUD treatment into primary care practices, this initiative aims to expand access, normalize treatment and reduce stigma.

“We were eager to support this project because of the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the worsening overdose epidemic by expanding access to this evidence-based treatment for OUD in Central Massachusetts, a region in which many face barriers to access, especially in rural areas,” said Amie Shei, President and CEO of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. “We are pleased to partner with Reliant Foundation and RIZE Massachusetts in demonstrating a broad base of support for UMass Memorial Health’s important initiative aimed at saving lives.”

UMass Memorial Health, the largest health care system in Central Massachusetts, received a $118,824 grant from The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, a $20,000 grant from Reliant Foundation and a $15,000 grant from RIZE Massachusetts.

The project aims to increase buprenorphine prescribing capacity in Massachusetts, especially in primary care settings. To do so, the UMass Memorial Health Road to Care team is developing, and will deliver, free training for physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners regardless of their clinical affiliation. The course will also allow prescribers to meet current educational requirements within the new, one-time Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act while providing guidance in diagnosing and treating OUD in their patient populations.

“This training allows providers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a comprehensive learning experience led by experts at UMass Memorial Health,” said Dr. Eric Dickson, President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health. “We have long been committed to advancing medical care and access to treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder and this training will allow more caregivers to join us in this endeavor to help others.”

“Supporting the battle against the opioid epidemic has become a core tenet of our mission,” said Kelsa Zereski, President of Reliant Foundation. “There are so many elements to the fight that need our support – including impactful education. We are focused on building the resources to offer hope and save lives and are proud to be a part of this effort.”

The RIZE Massachusetts grant supports a second component of the project that will bring remote expert care to clinicians through the evidence-based Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). The model was first used nearly 20 years ago in New Mexico to facilitate hepatitis C treatment close to home, and its effectiveness for OUD treatment was demonstrated recently in a rural New York health system.

“Evidence-based models like ECHO have been proven to increase prescribing of buprenorphine,” said Julie Burns, President and CEO of RIZE Massachusetts. “With RIZE’s support, this component will provide the peer and expert guidance that is essential for clinicians to provide nuanced care to patients who may not otherwise be able to access it and save more lives.”

The first training will be held on Dec. 14 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Beechwood Hotel, 363 Plantation St., Worcester, with breakfast and lunch provided. Register here. The eight-hour session will also be offered via Zoom. While this session will be held in Worcester, providers from across Central Massachusetts are welcome to attend. Subsequent sessions will be held in other parts of the region to facilitate participation from more rural parts of the region. In addition, Project ECHO modules will provide another opportunity for providers to present and learn from clinically based vignettes regarding OUD and overdose prevention.

About The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts is dedicated to improving the health of those who live or work in Central Massachusetts, with particular emphasis on vulnerable populations and unmet needs. Through its unique and impactful approach to grantmaking, the Foundation supports community-identified health issues, with health defined broadly to include social determinants of health and with a focus on promoting health equity. As a health conversion foundation launched in 1999 following the sale of the not-for-profit HMO Central Massachusetts Health Care Inc., the Foundation’s grants have totaled over $52 million to more than 200 unique organizations over its history. For more information, visit www.hfcm.org.

About UMass Memorial Health

UMass Memorial Health is the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts with more than 16,500 employees and 2,100 physicians. We are the clinical partner of UMass Chan Medical School. Our comprehensive system includes UMass Memorial Medical Center, UMass Memorial Health – Harrington, UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, UMass Memorial Health – Marlborough Hospital, and UMass Memorial Health – Community Healthlink. Visit www.ummhealth.org.

About Reliant Foundation

Established in 1988, Reliant Foundation is an independent public charity, not affiliated with any health care facility or medical group, whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of individuals of all ages in the Central and MetroWest regions of Massachusetts. As a 501(c)3 charity, the Foundation offers grants to nonprofit organizations within its service area for the purpose of supporting programs that battle critical community health issues like substance use disorder, and children’s mental health. Our charity partners work with thousands of individuals in our community to provide life-saving recovery coaching, mental health and behavioral health, and impactful education and initiatives to reduce the stigma around these issues. For more information, please visit www.reliantfoundation.org.

About RIZE Massachusetts

RIZE Massachusetts is solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis.  Guided by those with lived experience and unafraid of new ideas, RIZE is building networks, designing programming, and supporting community partners who are using novel approaches to preventing overdose.  Since 2017, RIZE has granted over $13 million to community organizations in Massachusetts.  Learn more at www.rizema.org.

###

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.

Apply Now