Healey-Driscoll administration announces first-of-its-kind investment in overdose prevention helpline

RIZE News

September 26, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Katheleen Conti, Assistant Director of Media Relations
Phone: (617) 624-5006; Email: katheleen.m.conti@mass.gov

Partnership with Boston Medical Center and RIZE Massachusetts provides 24/7 access to overdose detection services and peer-to-peer support

BOSTON, Mass.
September 26, 2023

The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced a partnership with Boston Medical Center and RIZE Massachusetts to fund and expand the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline. With this $350,000 investment, Massachusetts becomes the first state in the nation to fund an overdose prevention helpline – an easily accessible and life-saving overdose detection resource for people who use drugs. This is the latest step in the administration’s efforts to reduce overdose deaths in Massachusetts, which reached a record high in 2022.

The Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline uses a spotting model to prevent fatal overdoses. Trained helpline operators stay on the line while people use, alerting authorities if the caller becomes unresponsive. Previously a volunteer effort, this investment will enable the helpline to hire paid staff, resulting in stronger statewide coverage and shorter wait times. The funding will also support promotional efforts to increase awareness of the helpline’s services among individuals at risk of overdose.

“I’ve met too many grieving families whose lives have been torn apart by overdose deaths. This trauma and heartbreak are preventable,” said Governor Maura T. Healey. “By providing people with an alternative to using alone, the Overdose Prevention Helpline saves lives. Massachusetts is committed to growing our role as a national leader in harm reduction and prevention efforts, and we will continue to do everything in our power to reduce overdoses and save lives.”

“The opioid crisis has devastated every community in Massachusetts and fatal overdoses are continuing to increase,” said Lieutenant Governor Kimberley Driscoll. “Last year, overdoses reached a record high, highlighting the critical need for harm reduction tools like this one. By having this free helpline accessible for everyone in Massachusetts, we are making our state a safer and healthier place to live. I’m thrilled to move one step forward in this seemingly endless fight against overdose.”

Massachusetts continues to advance access to harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and prevention services. Since taking office, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has distributed more than 120,000 doses of naloxone to almost 30,000 individuals, resulting in at least 2,080 overdose reversals. The administration has also distributed over 347,000 fentanyl test strips at no cost to consumers and expanded the statewide network of DPH-funded peer recovery support centers to eliminate gaps in coverage. Last month, Governor Healey signed a FY24 operating budget investing more than $700 million to combat substance use disorder.

Since its grassroots inception in 2020, the Overdose Prevention Helpline has been operated solely by volunteers. With this investment, the helpline will be able to hire several full-time employees including a full-time operator and call center coordinator, as well as a part-time medical director, research director, data analyst, and program assistant. The investment also includes more than $30,000 in stipends for volunteers, as well as funding for promotional efforts to increase awareness of the helpline among people who need it. This includes the distribution of 30,000+ wallet cards, direct outreach to people at Mass and Cass through a partnership with Commonwealth Land Trust, billboard advertisements, presentations to community organizations, and more.

“Across Massachusetts, far too many families are grieving loved ones lost to preventable overdose deaths,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. “Naloxone reverses overdoses and saves lives, but it only works if someone is there to administer it – that’s why we need the Overdose Prevention Helpline. To win the fight against the opioid crisis, we need innovative solutions driven by people with lived experiences, and this helpline is yet another example of that.”

"This expanded program is more than just a helpline – it’s a lifeline,” said Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health Robbie Goldstein. “A compassionate and understanding voice on the other end of the phone can provide the kind of reassurance and support someone struggling with substance use disorder needs at a vulnerable time. That caring voice also serves as a reminder that help and hope are right there, within reach.”

“The Overdose Prevention Helpline is an important tool in our toolbox, providing a trained, compassionate, experienced resource on the line to intervene if the person becomes unresponsive,” said DPH Director of Substance Addiction Services Deirdre Calvert. “If we want to turn the tide and decrease overdose deaths, we need to support bold, innovative programs like the Overdose Prevention Helpline. DPH is proud to be a partner in this effort.”

Governor Healey first announced the administration’s intention to fund a free statewide overdose prevention helpline in June 2023, as part of the state’s immediate strategic response to increased overdose deaths. There were 2,357 overdose deaths in Massachusetts last year – a 2.5% increase from the previous year, with Black, non-Hispanic residents making up the largest jump. Additionally, in 2021, 92% of all overdose deaths occurred in private settings, with drug use entirely unwitnessed in 90%. By decreasing the frequency of unwitnessed overdoses, the Overdose Prevention Helpline reduces the number of overdose deaths.

So far in 2023, the helpline has supervised 581 use events, 483 of which have happened since July 1. In that same period, helpline operators detected and successfully facilitated the reversal of nine overdoses, and the average hold time is currently less than 15 seconds – down from four minutes at the beginning of the year.

“This collaboration marks a new day in our mission to prevent fatal overdoses across Massachusetts,” said Stephen Murray, Director of the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline. “All overdoses are preventable - naloxone and rescue breathing work. Yet the great majority of people who die from overdose, die alone without someone present and ready to rescue them. This overdose prevention line makes sure that people using alone get help in time.”

“RIZE is dedicated to seeding solutions to end the overdose crisis, and the hotline is representative of our role in funding and launching projects that are then scaled up by other funders or government entities,” said RIZE Massachusetts President and CEO Julie Burns. “So much innovative and impactful work is being done by providers who are on the front lines fighting this epidemic and working to save lives every day, and it is an honor to be able to support them.”

To contact the Massachusetts Overdose Prevention Helpline, call 800-972-0590. For more information, visit massoverdosehelpline.org.

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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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