PAARI AmeriCorps Member Kurt Gerold and PAARI law enforcement partners were featured in a documentary by Harbor Media, a community access station in Hingham, MA.

The opioid epidemic has become a very real and near problem to us on the South Shore. So much so, that Plymouth County has enacted a collaborative effort known as the Plymouth County Outreach (PCO).

This organization of 27 police departments, medical professionals, and community outreach has become the blueprint for a new approach to overdose and drug-use response that is likely to inspire other communities to reconsider their approach to this epidemic. How PCO’s approach differs from previous strategies is that it utilizes educational training to destigmatize addiction and provide outreach support in a 24-48 hour period after an overdose has occurred in the form of a recovery coach.

Kurt Gerold, a member of PAARI AmeriCorps, is a recovery coach in the Hull/Hingham area. He’s ready and willing to provide compassionate support as someone with personal experience of substance use disorder himself.