We are so excited to share the news about two 2023 Operational Readiness Awards from NACCHO for Berkshire and Franklin Counties respectively to develop programs to meet community needs.
BERKSHIRE
Berkshire MRC will support individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) who are seeking recovery. We will work to expand access to complimentary healing activities such as mind-body techniques, energy therapies, body-based therapies, creative engagement activities, and animal assisted therapy.
We aim to do this by partnering with organizations that provide addiction/behavioral health services in group settings and engaging volunteers to offer modalities like massage, acupuncture, reiki, art, writing, yoga, meditation and movement.
- The overall goal of this project is to leverage volunteer skills and resources to improve recovery outcomes and lessen occurrence of relapse for at least 100 SUD individuals by December 2023.
- Also, our goal is to recruit community members into MRC for this mission, including individuals with long-term recovery and practitioners of alternative wellness modalities.
We will be offering a series of trainings associated with the program including: NARCAN and Dr. Ruth Potee – whose talks on Addiction are powerful and thought provoking.
Despite enormous strides in Berkshire County to take on the opioid epidemic, 62 opioid overdose deaths were reported last year, up 11% from the year before – the highest number of recorded deaths.
We are the first MRC unit in the country to implement a program like this – continuing to lead the way in innovative ways to address real community needs. You make this possible! Please visit the Volunteer Page to be part of this program.
FRANKLIN
Franklin MRC will use TWO inventive communication channels to provide a different way for people to interact with FMRC and raise our profile as a community resource while reaching, educating and recruiting community members.
Some background: Last year FMRC partnered with Greenfield Community College (GCC) on a project in which older adults were interviewed about their experiences during COVID. The oral histories offer rich insights into how people fared and strategies for managing the sudden, extended isolation in the context of the pandemic.
Well, because stories and performance can be powerful persuasive tools to reach/recruit volunteers and inspire community conversations, FMRC will use the interviews, and other first-person stories, as source material to create an interactive performative experience with moderated audience talkbacks that will promote understanding, connectedness, and resilience.
AND
FMRC will produce a monthly Podcast! Our vision is that episodes will include topics such as disaster preparedness and response, behavior health and self care, and other regional public health topics with guest speakers. We expect to use the incredible podcast studio at GCC and will use a podcast platform TBD to host and market our podcast.
We are the first MRC unit in the country to implement programs like this – continuing to lead the way in innovative ways to address real community needs. You make this possible! Please visit the Volunteer Page to be part of this program.
