RIZE Massachusetts Awards Nearly $1 Million in Grants to Community-Based Organizations to Enhance Opioid Harm Reduction Services and Link with Clinical Care

RIZE News

October 9, 2018

RIZE Massachusetts (RIZE), a nonprofit created to end the opioid overdose epidemic in Massachusetts, announced today that it is awarding nearly $1 million in grants that will fund pilot programs or existing collaborations among local community organizations to enhance harm reduction services. RIZE will award $999,215 to six community-based organizations over the next two years through this grant program.

RIZE was created to address the opioid overdose epidemic through a broad continuum of programs, from prevention to long-term sustainable recovery, and investments in geographic areas where more resources are needed. RIZE is committed to achieving zero stigma and zero deaths related to opioid use disorder by investing in the best solutions to save lives, reduce harm, and end the opioid overdose epidemic in Massachusetts.

“Individuals face many challenges in seeking care for opioid use disorders, particularly the most vulnerable populations. To provide the comprehensive and compassionate care needed to treat opioid use disorder and prevent illness and death, we need a continuum of services that integrates harm reduction measures with clinical treatment for addiction. By funding local organizations that provide harm reduction services, RIZE is helping to strengthen community resources for those at greatest risk in order to reduce stigma and save lives,” said Sarah E. Wakeman, MD, RIZE Chief Medical Officer and medical director for the Massachusetts General Hospital Substance Use Disorder Initiative.

Harm reduction is an approach that focuses on reducing the negative consequences of drug use and supporting individuals in embracing any positive change in their lives and health. The treatment can include a range of services such as syringe exchange, overdose education, and naloxone distribution. Harm reduction itself should not be seen as a way to end opioid use, but rather as a survival plan that keeps people alive and safe until they decide to move into a clinical treatment phase, and then hopefully, onto full recovery.

The goals of the grant awards are to expand existing harm reduction services with novel interventions, such as fentanyl test strips or other drug-checking measures and develop immediate access to low-threshold addiction treatment through clinical partnerships. Low-threshold programs focus on access and engagement rather than strict rules that could become barriers to treatment.

The six grantees were chosen from a broad pool of applicants. The organizations are:

• AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod
• Fenway Health
• Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
• HRH413
• Kraft Center Mobile Health Initiative
• Life Connection Center

The grantees AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, Fenway Health, and Kraft Center Mobile Health Initiative were selected for their evidence-based treatments that feature an innovative approach to harm reduction with an opportunity to scale and replicate the models.

While Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, HRH413, and Life Connection Center were selected for providing grassroots harm reduction services and being deeply imbedded in their communities. All three of these organizations are in under-resourced, high-need areas and serve the most marginalized populations that may not seek care in a clinical setting.

About the six organizations selected:

• AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod (ASGCC), for over 35 years has worked to save lives through prevention, education and life-sustaining services that address public health crises and build healthy communities across Cape Cod and the Islands. ASGCC provides vital services to people living with HIV, works to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, and utilizes harm reduction practices to fight the deadly opioid epidemic on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

• The Kraft Center Mobile Health Initiative, launched in January 2018 by the Kraft Center for Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, is a mobile health program designed to bridge the gap between individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) and effective treatment and increase access to care. It is a collaboration between Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), the Boston Public Health Commission’s Access, Harm Reduction, Overdose Prevention and Education (AHOPE) program, and the GE Foundation. The Kraft Center Mobile Health Initiative brings on-demand opioid addiction treatment services directly to marginalized populations in Boston. The Kraft Mobile Health Initiative currently serves four Boston neighborhoods of Dudley Square, Fenway, Downtown Crossing and the West End — where data indicates high rates of overdose and, using precise, data-driven hot spotting deploys to those areas of the city indicating emerging need. The Kraft Mobile Health Initiative serves people who inject drugs who are primarily homeless and not currently connected to care. The Kraft Center was established in 2011 by a generous gift from Robert Kraft to expand access to high quality, cost effective health care for disadvantaged individuals and families.

• Fenway Health is one of the few Federally-Qualified Health Centers with an LGBTQ focus and an unparalleled commitment to providing culturally competent care for underserved populations regardless of their ability to pay. AIDS Action (AC), the public health division of Fenway Health, offers an array of services based on a harm reduction approach, including HIV/STD testing, syringe exchange, behavioral health, treatment adherence support, case management, housing search, and legal assistance. Ninety percent (90%) of AC clients live on an average household income of less than $10,000 per year, 85% have experienced an episode of housing instability in
their lifetime, and 80% are struggling with unmet mental health needs and/or substance use issues.

• Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) has operated as a Federally-Qualified Health Center in the Merrimack Valley for nearly 40 years. GLFHC’s mission is to improve and maintain the health of individuals and families in the Merrimack Valley by providing a network of high quality, comprehensive health care services and by training health care professionals who can respond to the needs of a culturally diverse population. Providing care to nearly 60,000 patients, GLFHC operates five main clinical facilities in Lawrence and Methuen, MA, two school-based health centers at Greater Lawrence Technical School in Andover, MA and Lawrence High School; and a facility located within Lawrence General Hospital. GLFHC also provides health care for the homeless at 14 community-based sites throughout the Merrimack Valley.

• HRH413 is a grassroots harm reduction organization of current and former people who use drugs. HRH413 provides prevention, education, training and consultation in Hampshire, Hampden and Berkshire counties. Their mission is to facilitate any positive change and to reduce the stigma associated with drug use. In the past year in Hampshire county alone, HRH413 has produced almost 300 unduplicated interactions.

• Life Connection Center is a multi-service community agency located in the heart of Lowell, MA. Originally founded by a small Brazilian church, they now operate in one of the area’s toughest neighborhoods. The organization uses unique engagement methods to operate as a true bridge builder, or connection point for providers and people. Through diverse community partnerships they can narrow the gap between difficult to engage persons and relevant health care providers.

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