RIZE Massachusetts Awards $253,000 in Grants

RIZE News

January 4, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Michelle McKenzie, Ball Consulting Group, LLC
Phone: 617-429-2709; Email: michelle@ballcg.com

RIZE Massachusetts Awards $253,000 in Grants

As Overdose Crisis Continues, Projects Will Support Oral Health in Substance Use Treatment, Drug Supply Testing System, and Community Health Referral Networks

BOSTON
January 4, 2024

RIZE Massachusetts, an independent nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis in Massachusetts, today announced that it has awarded more than $253,000 in grants for three innovative projects that address existing and emerging factors contributing to the overdose crisis and improve access and equity in substance use treatment services.

RIZE awarded:

  • $93,071 to UMass Chan Medical School to develop a new oral health intervention pilot program for people experiencing substance use disorder;
  • $100,000 to expand support for Network One, a regional drug supply checking network that collects data to inform harm reduction services, coordinated by Brandeis University, the Department of Public Health and drug testing sites statewide; and
  • $60,050 to the Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation and Policy of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to study and improve community-based referral networks for substance use disorder care.

“As we strive to turn the tide of the overdose crisis, we continue to identify cutting-edge ideas and scalable solutions with our partners throughout the Commonwealth,” said RIZE President and CEO Julie Burns. “This series of grants will break down barriers to oral health care, optimize harm reduction strategies by monitoring the drug supply, and help improve access and equity at the community level so people of all backgrounds are connected to life-saving treatment.”

Few funders are focused on the intersection of substance use and oral health – despite the fact that people living with substance use disorder (SUD) often experience oral health issues, compounded by drug use, and face barriers to care. Even some medications for opioid use disorder, including suboxone and methadone, have potential oral side effects like dry mouth and mouth acidity.

RIZE will partner with Dr. Hugh Silk at UMass Chan Medical School to develop a scalable oral health intervention that can be offered in SUD provider outreach settings. These providers have strong, trusting relationships with patients and can assess their oral health and help coordinate dental care.

“As we work with individuals who are addressing their substance use disorder and they make positive changes in their lives around the substances, they start to address other health issues, including their oral health,” said Dr. Silk. “They face many barriers when trying to see dentists, however, and we are hoping this grant will help address those barriers. The substances that they use can make their teeth worse, combined with a diet and lack of personal hygiene that also resulted from substance use; and some of the treatment we use can also affect their teeth.

“For people to truly turn the corner and be able to gain confidence, hold down a job, and just be able to smile with friends, they need to be able to improve their oral health and that’s what this grant is all about,” he added.

Last spring, RIZE funded several drug testing sites that, in turn, launched Network One to validate xylazine test strips, which are used to identify the presence of the deadly drug, sometimes referred to as “tranq.” The network furthered the understanding of the evolving nature of the local drug supply and the effectiveness of harm reduction tools. RIZE will provide support to increase the network’s capacity and ability to identify and respond to supply trends.

“As the drug supply changes, it’s clear that a sustainable network to increase the validity and availability of harm reduction services and treatment for polysubstance use is a priority and a strong fit for our investment,” Burns said.

Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) who use drugs often face significant inequities in accessing effective SUD medications, treatment, recovery and harm reduction services. Recent studies show that programs that bring treatment into community-based locations may improve engagement of BIPOC individuals in SUD care.

In partnership with Dr. Cheryl Clark and the Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation and Policy, part of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, RIZE is funding research to better understand referral relationships between community-based organizations and community health centers.

“What we learn from this research could identify tangible changes that result in improved access to equitable and culturally relevant care,” Burns said.

About RIZE Massachusetts

RIZE Massachusetts Foundation 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 and increasing access to treatment. Learn more at www.rizema.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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