For Immediate Release

Monday, June 25, 2018

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

*Media Advisory*

P.A.A.R.I. to Host Third Anniversary Celebration and Awards Ceremony

GLOUCESTER — The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.) is pleased to announce it will welcome law enforcement leaders from across the country to celebrate its third anniversary and honor those who are helping in the fight against opioid addiction.

Tickets are required to attend, and anyone who would like to purchase a ticket or support the event may do so by clicking here. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

WHEN: 

Wednesday, June 27 from 6-9 p.m.

WHERE: 

Gloucester House Restaurant, 63 Rogers St., Gloucester

WHAT: 

The public is invited to help celebrate as P.A.A.R.I. marks three years working to fight the opioid epidemic through its partnerships with more than 400 law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S.

P.A.A.R.I. was founded in 2015 in concert with the groundbreaking Gloucester ANGEL Initiative, which reinvented the way law enforcement agencies confront addiction in their own communities by treating it as a treatable disease rather than a crime.

With its network of 408 law enforcement partners, P.A.A.R.I. is working toward a collective vision where non-arrest diversion programs become a standard policing practice across the country. This movement is reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, reducing stigma and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities.

Since it began on June 1, 2015, the Gloucester ANGEL Initiative has directed more than 600 people into treatment and served as the foundation for a pathway to recovery for hundreds more nationwide.

“Our law enforcement partners have been a tremendous asset in creating access to treatment, and their continued support is what will ultimately help turn the tide in our national struggle against addiction,” Co-Founder and Co-Chairman John Rosenthal said. “This celebration is an opportunity for us to recognize the fantastic work of so many people who have made this movement possible.”

“These first three years have been inspirational, and I’m so proud of the work that our partners have done to change the conversation around addiction,” Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade said. “What started with a single department opening its doors has evolved into a phenomenon that has earned the buy-in of hundreds of agencies from all over our country and gotten the attention of key policymakers at all levels of government.”

“Our diverse group of partners, which includes agencies large and small, shows that this renewed approach is what it’s going to take to overcome the opioid crisis,” Co-Chairman and Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan said. “I want to thank the law enforcement and community leaders for their continued support and their recognition of the fact that this is a public health issue that we cannot do away with simply by arresting and incarcerating those who need our help.”

P.A.A.R.I. will honor several individuals and groups in multiple categories for their contributions to the effort to combating the opioid crisis. Those confirmed to attend are marked by an asterisk.

Law Enforcement Leadership

• Chief Peter Volkman — Chatham Police Department (New York)*
• Commissioner William B. Evans and Deputy Superintendent Winifred Cotter — Boston Police Department
• Chief Tom Bashore — Nashville Police Department (North Carolina)
• Chief Joseph Cordeiro — New Bedford Police Department*
• Chief Robbie Moulton — Scarborough Police Department (Maine)
• Sheriff Kevin Coppinger, Gary Barrett, Community Relations Coordinator, and the entire Detox Unit team — Essex County Sheriff’s Department*

Government Leadership 

• Rep. Joe Kennedy III
• Jim Cormier — New England High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area*
• Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken*
• Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders*

Advocacy and Community Leadership 

•  Marty Ginivan and Christine Bobeck — Grace Center*
• Suzanne Graves — Evelyn Lilly Lutz Foundation, Beverly Hospital*
• Sarah Cloud — Beth Isreal Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth*
• Dr. Sarah Wakeman — Massachusetts General Hospital
• Emily Haber — Massachusetts Service Alliance

Stephenie Jesi Memorial Scholarship

• Courtney Favazza*
• Ieisha Clements*
• Matthew Foley*

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