On Thursday, May 30th, the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) convened the Massachusetts Statewide Hub Convening at the Lynnfield Police Academy in Lynnfield, MA. This gathering, the first of its kind, brought together 26 individuals from various organizations involved in Hub tables across the state. It served as a platform for Hub coordinators and partners to connect, collaborate, and share insights.
The event began with Liz Leingang, Plymouth County Hub Chair and PAARI Project Manager, welcoming attendees to the event. She provided a brief overview of the agenda for the day and led an icebreaker for the group. She then passed it off to Dan Cortez, founder of the Chelsea Hub Table. Dan spoke to the audience about the importance of meetings like these to discuss Hub matters statewide. He encouraged attendees to get to know and learn from one
another.
Following opening remarks, Dan led a discussion around the importance of fidelity to the Hub four filter process. This process in the Hub model refers to the four steps of home agency screening, a de-identifiable discussion, an identifiable discussion, and intervention planning. Dan facilitated this conversation by asking participants if they are sticking to the four-filter process, if they utilize the Situation Referral Form, and how their Hub operates around confidentiality.
Mike Botieri, Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) & QRT National Vice President of Business Development, followed Dan’s remarks by leading a conversation about data collection. He showed a visual of the current risk-tracking database and asked attendees about various ways they collect and capture data. For instance, some Hub situation tables collect data for “unofficial situations” while others do not.
Isabella Nowak, Plymouth County Hub Co-Chair and PAARI Project Manager, then discussed barriers of access with the group. She asked attendees to list some barriers that they are currently facing in their areas. Some of those limitations included language barriers, lack of insurance, affordable housing, access
to detox, transportation, and waitlists. Isabella then sought out ways that other members of the room had tackled these barriers. Some fixes included hiring community liaisons and getting a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) certification to help community members seek health insurance coverage.
After a short lunch and networking break, the afternoon began with a moving speech by Steve Jesi, PAARI Board Member. He shared his connection to PAARI and how his daughter utilized the Angel Initiative.
These remarks were followed by three panel discussions. The first panel, led by Liz, welcomed members of the Hub community who are first responders. She asked questions about roles, participation in the Hub and inquired about better ways the Hub can better support first responders.
Following this discussion, Dan led a panel discussion with healthcare professionals and then with the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families and housing representatives. The healthcare providers discussed their roles in the Hub, how often they participate, and whether the Hub has helped their agency. All the panelists expressed high satisfaction with the Hub and high participation.
The last discussion of the day was led by Isabella, who spoke about outreach strategies. She asked participants about how they spread awareness of their Hub tables to get other community agencies involved. She inquired about a successful partnership or collaboration that was formed from this outreach. The crowd also discussed how they respond if a community agency declines because of confidentiality or other barriers.
The session ended with closing remarks by Dan and Isabella.
The event hosted individuals from the following organizations:
- Boston Medical Center
- Boston Police Department
- Brightview Health
- Chelsea Police Department
- City of Medford
- City of Worcester
- Crosspoint Clinical Services
- Department of Mental Health
- East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
- Father Bill’s and MainSpring
- Hampden County Sheriff’s Department
- Health & Human Services – Worcester
- Hingham Police Department
- Island Health Care
- Malden Police Department
- Northampton Resilience Hub
- Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office
- Town of Hingham
- Vinfen
