For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

P.A.A.R.I. Announces the Launch of AmeriCorps Program

P.A.A.R.I. Introduces AmeriCorps Program Members

GLOUCESTER — John Rosenthal, Co-founder and Chairman of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), and Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade are pleased to announce the launch of a first-of-its-kind project in partnership with AmeriCorps.

P.A.A.R.I. has received a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) and the Corporation for National and Community Service to launch a groundbreaking program that will place 25 AmeriCorps members into service at host police department sites across Massachusetts, assisting with municipal police-led addiction and recovery programs in light of the growing opioid epidemic. This innovative statewide program will build the capacity of law enforcement programs, prevent overdose deaths, provide vital resources to community members with substance use disorders.

“P.A.A.R.I.’s mission is to provide resources to help law enforcement agencies combat the opioid epidemic, and this revolutionary program will add significant capacity to our partners and utilize service as a solution to address critical community needs,” said Hunter McDade said. “We are thrilled to announce our host site partners and introduce the AmeriCorps members who will work alongside them for the inaugural year of the program.”

Added Massachusetts Service Alliance CEO Emily Haber: “MSA is proud to partner with PAARI and our law enforcement across the state to provide much needed capacity around the opioid epidemic. This program model reflects what AmeriCorps was set out to do when established 23 years ago – to train, empower and set forth individuals who want to solve problems and make our communities healthier and stronger. We feel strongly that this investment in AmeriCorps will play an important part in the overall response and recovery effort addressing the devastating substance abuse crisis in Massachusetts.”

P.A.A.R.I. is proud to welcome the inaugural class of 2017-18 P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps Members, a cohort of committed and inspiring individuals looking to make a positive difference in their communities. Click here to meet the first ten AmeriCorps Members selected and see where they will be serving.

P.A.A.R.I. is accepting applications on a rolling basis for the remaining 15 AmeriCorps positions. Part-time and full-time positions are available at several police departments across Eastern Massachusetts. More information can be found here.

“We are excited about the opportunity of adding additional resources in the form of a Recovery Coach to assist us on the streets and for folks to be able to drop in to Everett PD to start the process,” said Everett Police Chief Steven A. Mazzie. “We know people need assistance with drug addiction and hope that they can start their recovery with our help.”

The Lynn Police Department has also added a P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps program member. Lynn has reported 381 overdoses so far in 2017, with 50 fatalities. Lynn had 444 overdoses in 2016 and 50 total fatalities.

“The Lynn Police Department welcomes the addition of the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Program to our ongoing efforts to reach out to those who are struggling with addiction,” added Lynn Police Chief Michael A. Mageary. “The two P.A.A.R.I. provided recovery coaches will join our substance abuse clinician and jail diversion clinician, who currently make up our Behavioral Health Unit, and make us better able to connect with those who are at high risk of fatally overdosing.”

The Northwest Middlesex Community Outreach Initiative Network (C.O.I.N.), a network of 10 police departments, has also received a grant to add an AmeriCorps member.

“We’re happy to have received one of the AmeriCorps grants to bring in a full-time person who can further the work we’re already doing surrounding substance abuse and mental health,” said Pepperell Police Chief David Scott, a C.O.I.N. member. “We encourage anyone who has an interest in these fields to apply.”

From P.A.A.R.I.’s New AmeriCorps Members:

“I’ve been in recovery since January 1, 2005, and I joined the P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps team as way to give back to the community and hopefully bring hope that there is help for families and loved ones suffering with substance use disorders,” said Shawn Salisbury, AmeriCorps Member serving as a Recovery Coach at East Bridgewater Police Department.

“This program is unique because it embodies the changing dialogue around addiction and ways to combat the opioid epidemic. The way forward must be collaborative across different sectors. The PAARI-AmeriCorps program provides a unique opportunity to support those struggling with the disease of addiction by facilitating referrals to treatment and other resources they need to make changes in their lives. I am honored and excited to be a part of this initiative,” said Jackie Tayabji, AmeriCorps Member serving as a Recovery Coach at Burlington Police Department.

“I joined the P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps program because it is an amazing program which is all about getting on the front lines of this opioid epidemic and meeting the people who are struggling right where they are at. It’s an honor to not only work with police to break the stigma of substance use disorder, but also allow the community to see that police care deeply about the communities they serve,” said Kurt Gerold, P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps Member serving as a Recovery Coach at Hingham, Hull, Norwell, and Cohasset Police Departments.

All photos: Credit/Bethany Owens Photography

Police Departments served by the P.A.A.R.I. AmeriCorps Program include:

Lynn Police Department, Brockton Police Department, Northeastern University Police Department, New Bedford Police Headquarters, Methuen Police Department, Everett Police Department, Somerville Police Department, East Bridgewater Police Department, Plymouth Police Department, Hingham Police Department, Hull Police Department, Norwell Police Department, Pepperell Police Department, Ashby Police Department, Ayer Police Department, Boxboro Police Department, Dunstable Police Department, Groton Police Department, Littleton Police Department, Shirley Police Department, Townsend Police Department, Westford Police Department, Bridgewater State University Police Department, Duxbury Police Department, Carver Police Department, Hanover Police Department, Kingston Police Department, Pembroke Town Police Department, Plympton Police Department, Middleboro Police Department, Rochester Police Department, Wareham Police Department, Marshfield Police Department, Lakeville Police Department, Marion Police Department, Mattapoisett Police Department, Scituate Police Department, Halifax Police Department, West Bridgewater Police Department, Abington Police Department, Hanson Police Department, Whitman Police Department, and Rockland Police Department.

About AmeriCorps:

AmeriCorps is a civil society program that engages adults in public service work with a goal of helping others and meeting critical needs in the community. Members commit to full-time or part-time positions offered by a network of nonprofit community organizations and public agencies to fulfill assignments in the fields of education, public safety, healthcare, and environmental protection. There are more than 75,000 Americans in service each year.

About P.A.A.R.I.:

The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to help law enforcement agencies establish pre-arrest programs that create immediate and stigma-free entry points to treatment and recovery programs. P.A.A.R.I. works across sectors to provide training, coaching, and support; program models, policies and procedures, and templates; seed grants; connections to over 300 vetted treatment centers; a network of like-minded law enforcement agencies; a unified voice with media and legislators; and capacity building through AmeriCorps. P.A.A.R.I. is free to join and open to any law enforcement agency that believes in treatment over arrest and views addiction as a disease not a crime. Since June 2015, P.A.A.R.I. has launched more than 320 law enforcement programs in 31 states, distributed 10,000 4mg doses of life-saving nasal naloxone, and helped over 12,000 people into treatment.

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