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Description
In 2015, Mayor Martin J. Walsh created the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, the first of its kind in the United States. The office works to give more Boston residents access to the support they need to tackle substance use disorder and addiction issues. Host, Lois Leonard, speaks with Jennifer Tracey, Director of the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services, about how her team is working to make sure no one is left behind.
A
Hi
and
welcome
to
commissioner's
corner
I'm,
your
host
Lois
Leonard,
and
thanks
for
joining
us
today
and
I'm
glad
that
you
did
because
we're
going
to
talk
about
an
issue
that
touches
us
all:
substance,
use
disorder,
opioid
addiction
and
the
past
that
Boston
has
put
in
place
for
recovery.
If
you
or
someone
close
to
you
has
questions
or
are
looking
for
help,
then
I
encourage
you
to
stay
with
us
today
and
listen
in
as
we
talk
with
the
director
of
the
mayor's
office
of
recovery
services,
Jennifer
Tracy
Jennifer,
thanks
so
much
for
joining
us
today.
A
B
Sure
happy
to
through
the
Mayor
Walsh's
leadership
when
he
first
came
into
office,
one
of
the
first
things
that
he
did
was
conduct
a
year-long
analysis
of
the
services
in
the
city
of
Boston,
in
partnership
with
Blue
Cross,
Blue,
Shield
Foundation
of
Massachusetts,
and
through
that
analysis,
really
discovered
the
gaps
and
the
strengths
of
Boston's
continuum
of
care.
One
of
the
recommendations
from
that
analysis
was
the
launching
of
a
municipal
office
to
work
citywide
on
the
issues
of
substance,
use
and
addiction,
and
that's
how
you
know:
that's
how
we
got
here
and
he's.
A
Lucky
to
have
you,
because
you've
you've
had
quite
a
great
background
in
this
subject
by
working
for
the
state
in
the
past,
so
I
from
what
I
understand
you
have
a
great
group
of
people
working
in
your
office
and
you're
working
hard,
yes
very
hard
every
day.
Well,
last
summer
you
opened
up
an
engagement
center,
a
pilot
program,
if
you
will,
where
individuals
in
need
of
a
space,
could
spend
time
during
the
day
and
go
to
what
kind
of
services
are
provided.
There
sure.
B
So
you
know
we
opened
the
engagement
Center
due
to
a
lot
of
collaboration
with
the
community
with
the
residents
in
the
South
End,
the
business
owners
and
people
on
the
street
receiving
services.
We
did
about
a
year's
worth
of
work
with
those
groups
in
order
to
identify
one
of
the
solutions
to
the
number
of
people
that
we
see
down
in
the
mass
cast
neighborhood
as
we
call
it
or
Massachusetts
and
Melanie
accosts
intersection,
which
we
all
know
has
been
a
challenge
for
us
in
the
Boston.
B
B
So
there's
a
lot
of
foot
traffic,
there's
people
receiving
services
who
who
come
to
receive
services-
and
there
were
a
lot
of
folks
out
on
the
street
during
the
day
and
when
we
spoke
to
those
individuals
and
as
well
as
business
owners
and
residents.
Everyone
agreed
that
really.
The
top
priority
for
everyone
was
a
safe
and
welcoming
place
for
people
to
go
during
the
day
and.
B
We
opened
the
engagement
center
in
August
of
this
year
as
a
pilot.
We
just
finished
our
six-month
pilot
phase
and
it's
it's
an
open,
very
low
threshold,
low
barrier
space
where
folks
can
come
in,
they
can
get
a
cup
of
coffee.
We
have
restrooms
for
people
to
use.
We
have
programming
that
consists
of
everything
from
arts
we're
having
a
Writers
Workshop.
We
have
Boston
University
is
helping
with
dental
care,
so
we
have
a
lot
of
providers
that
come
in
the
space
during
the
day
to
provide
there's
their
specialty
of
services.
B
Have
you
been
busy,
not
some
capacity
since
we've
opened,
so
we
have
great
people
waiting
for
us
when
we
open
the
doors?
These
are
folks
that
sleep
out
on
the
street
that
night.
These
are
folks
that
are
in
the
shelters.
These
are
folks
that
are
receiving
services
during
the
day
and
need
a
safe
place
to
go.
We
have
computers
and
workforce
development
workshops
and
TVs
and
a
whole
host
of
things
based
on
really
the
needs
of
the
individuals,
and
what
folks
have
told
us
would
be
helpful.
Well,
where.
B
A
B
A
B
It's
great
we
identified
in
Boston
when
we
first
opened
the
office.
We
were
surprised
that
folks
still
didn't
know
what
to
do
or
where
to
go
with
her
help,
even
questions
so
treatment,
referrals
or
questions,
and
so
we
thought
it
was
a
natural
connection
to
make
with
the
constituent
service
line
that
the
mayor
has
3
1
1.
Most
residents
are
familiar
with
it
with
broken
street
lamps
or
garbage
pickup
or
whatnot.
So
what
we
did
was
we
created
a
24/7
hotline
behind
3
1
1
with
recovery
experts.
B
B
C
A
Terrific,
well
speaking
to
the
people
who
are
homeless
and,
of
course,
our
substance
use
disorder
quite
often
does
lead
to
homelessness
in
2014
to
ensure
Public
Safety.
Unfortunately,
mayor
Walsh
had
to
make
the
decision
to
close
the
Long
Island
Bridge
and
on
the
island.
It
housed,
homeless,
shelters
and
offered
substance
use
treatment,
programs,
but
the
silly
the
facilities
were
closed.
But
recently
mayor
Walsh
pledged
to
rebuild
that
bridge.
So
we're
going
to
listen
to
mayor
Walsh
right
now
in.
C
2014
for
the
safety
of
our
most
vulnerable
residents,
we
were
forced
to
close
the
Long
Island
Bridge.
At
the
same
time,
we
opened
the
door
to
long
overdue
reforms
and
how
Boston
provides
human
service
for
our
region.
I
want
to
make
one
thing
clear:
the
opioid
crisis
and
homelessness
are
not
the
same.
They
each
require
a
comprehensive
response.
That's
why
we
created
an
office
of
recovery
services
to
expand
access
to
treatment.
C
Recovery
requires
a
continuum
of
care
from
detox
to
residential
treatment,
to
transitional
housing,
to
reclaim
your
life
for
many
people,
including
myself,
Long
Island
played
a
vital
role
in
Boston's
landscape
and
a
will
again
I
pledged
you
today
that
we
are,
and
we
will
rebuild
the
bridge
back
to
Long
Island
and
we
will
create
on
Long
Island's
the
comprehensive
long-term
recovery
campus
that
our
city
and
our
state
needs
now
more
than
ever
to
tackle
the
opioid
crisis.
Well,.
B
Yes,
it
was
a
devastating
decision
for
him
to
have
to
make
at
that
time
due
to
the
safety
of
folks
that
had
to
be
made,
but
we're
very
optimistic
about
and
excited
about
the
opportunity
to
really
start
fresh.
You
know
it's
four
years
later
and
this
gives
us
a
chance
to
look
at
where
we
are
now
with
the
system.
As
you
stated,
all
the
beds
have
been
replaced
that
we're
on
Long
Island.
This
is
going
to
be
different
than
it
was.
A
B
So
the
camp
has
continued.
The
children's
camp,
pa-pow
review
has
continued
to
operate
and
as
we
as
the
city
moves
forward
to
assess
the
land
in
the
buildings
and
what
it
takes
to
build
the
bridge,
we
will
be
working
with
providers
and
stakeholders
and
our
state
partners
to
really
design
what
we
think
can
be
a
state-of-the-art
continuum
of
care
on
the
island
that
folks
will
have
access
to
in
new
in
different
ways,
and
so
we
use
the
land
as
beautiful
out
there.
B
A
B
B
Well
known
in
the
treatment
community
across
the
state,
it
really
is
a
unique
one-of-a-kind
program.
Yeah,
we
call
it
our
the
city's
access
to
care
program.
So
this
is
a
program
that's
located
down
on
Mass
Ave
in
Albany,
and
it's
a
walk-in
service
with
the
mayor's
investment
over
the
last
couple
of
years.
It
has
continued
to
expand
its
hours,
and
so
it's
operating
seven
days
a
week
now
as
well,
along
with
the
engagement
Center,
so
they
sort
of
there's
a
nice
compliment
there.
B
A
B
Get
a
yes
they'll
get
assess,
though
the
public
health
advocate
and
recovery
specialists
will
go
through
what
you
need
to
get
on
to
the
next
level
of
care,
and
they
will
do
real-time
placement.
So
it
really
is
like
treatment
on
demand
as
we
as
we
like
to
say
in
the
field
one-stop
shopping,
one-stop
shopping,
so
I.
Think.
Last
year
we
placed
over
2,600
people
into
treatment
across
the
metro
area
and
across
the
state.
B
And
the
mobile
sharps
team
has
been
with
Mayor
Walsh's
investment
doubled
in
the
in
this
past
year.
So
these
are
folks
that
respond
to
three
one.
One
constituent
calls
around
needle
pickups
across
the
city,
so
they're
canvassing
neighborhoods
responding
to
those
calls,
but
also
trying
to
stay
ahead
of
the
game
and
hitting
proactively
hitting
spots.
Members.
B
A
B
You
know
we,
as
I
said
before
we
find
it.
We
really
want
to
hit
every
gap
in
the
continuum
of
care
so
for
active
users.
Besides
the
engagement
center
that
we
mentioned,
we
have
a
program
called
a
hope:
I'm
also
located
down
with
our
Bureau
of
recovery
services,
and
that
is
another
walk-in
service
that
people
it's
the
state's
oldest
needle
exchange
program.
It's
a
harm
reduction
site
and
overdose
prevention
site.
They
provide
testing,
HIV,
testing,
STI
testing
for
folks
and
and
referrals
to
treatment
as
well
and
folks
walk
in
and
out
of
there.
A
B
Always
counseling,
it
sits
in
the
same
building
as
an
outpatient
program
that
provides
counseling
as
well,
so
we're
very
connected
within
our
services
and
there's
a
lot
of
warm
handoffs.
So
the
paths
program
that
I
just
mentioned
is
next
door.
So
if
someone's
ready
for
treatment,
they're
being
walked
right
next
door
and
to
get
placed
into
treatment.
A
B
A
work
in
progress
there's
a
lot
of
City
departments.
We
feel
with
this
office
and
with
the
mayor's
leadership
that
every
city
department
has
a
role
to
play
in
the
addiction
epidemic,
regardless
of
it
of
what
it
is.
We
really
tackled
our
first
responders,
who
are
out
there
doing
the
work
every
day
and
they're,
seeing
the
opiate
epidemic
firsthand
sure
so,
working
with
our
Fire
Commissioner
Police
Commissioner
chief
of
EMS
and
the
Public
Health
Commission
really
have
formed
a
team
to
tackle
this.
This
crisis
in
the
city
in
different
ways
you.
B
Well,
so
those
are
other
partners,
so
state
partners,
we
work
with
the
Suffolk
County
Sheriff's
Department.
We
launched
a
recovery
reentry
panel,
the
first
ever
with
the
Sheriff's
Department,
which
is
a
place
for
treatment
providers,
workforce
training,
programs,
health
care
facilities
to
go
inside
the
jail
meet
with
folks
before
they
come
out,
develop
those
relationships.
Let
them
know
that
they're
there
and
then
and
we
meet
with
them
when
they
come
on
the
outside,
which
is
which
is
really
important
to
make
that
connection
for.
A
Folks,
yeah
I'd
like
to
emphasize
again
how
the
city
of
Boston
is
the
first
in
the
country
to
have
an
office
such
as
this
mayor
was
totally
committed
to
that.
In
fact,
he's
been
sort
of
like
the
team
leader
for
mayor's
around
the
whole
country
that
are
hoping
to
begin.
Their
own
offices
tell
us
how
hard
the
work
the
mayor's
working
right.
So
he.
B
So
the
mayor
was
asked
to
chair
the
first
ever
substance,
use
and
recovery
task
force
at
the
US
Conference
of
Mayors,
and
he's
been
doing
that
now
for
two
years
and
that's
been,
we've
developed
a
toolkit
of
best
practice
for
other
mayors
that
they
can
utilize
on
everything
from
how
do
you
conduct
a
citywide
analysis
of
services?
Who
do
you
partner
with?
How
do
you
pull
in
sort
of
creative
partnerships?
B
B
A
Toolkit
that
you
spoke
of,
we
can't
you
can't
find
it
online
on
at
your
website
and
and
when
I
took
a
look
at
it.
It's
not
just
a
toolkit
for
a
mayor
of
a
city,
but
it
could
be
for
anyone.
There's
some
great
information
there,
so
I
would
encourage
anyone
to
go
online
and
check
that
out.
I
think
it
can
be
helpful
to
any
anyone
who
whose
lives
have
been
touched
by
this,
and,
of
course
we
all
have
in
some
way
or
another.
Another
positive
your
office
is
offering
a
scholarship
program
to
people
in
recovery.
B
So
that's
the
pair
initiative
that
we
recently
launched
and
it
really
is
looking
at
the
back
end
of
services.
So
as
we
look
at
the
continuum
of
care,
what
gaps
there
exist,
we're
focusing
on
folks
in
early
recovery,
how
do
we
support
them
and
what's
missing
currently
for
them,
and
so
the
parent
ishutin
will
identify
folks
that
need
some
extra
support
in
whether
it's
with
education
or
a
training
program?
Perhaps
some
some
housing
assistance
to
really
get
them
back
on
their
feet?
Kick.
A
Sterilised
yeah
Jennifer.
Thank
you
so
much.
It
sounds
like
a
great
program.
Your
office
is
doing
such
a
great
job
and
we
thank
you
and
your
office
for
your
hard
work,
bringing
solutions
and
hope
that
we
all
can
work
together
to
make
a
difference,
and
thank
you,
our
viewers,
for
joining
in.
If
you
feel
that
you
personally
cannot
make
a
difference,
then
think
again,
simply
changing
our
words.
A
When
we
talk
about
substance,
use
disorder
will
help
lets
alleviate
the
stigmas
and
bring
respect
to
those
who
are
struggling
for
more
information
on
the
mayor's
office
of
recovery
services.
Please
visit
Boston
gov,
slash
recovery.
If
you
or
someone
you
love
needs
access
to
recovery
services,
you
can
now
call
3-1-1
and
the
mayor's
office
will
help
you
get
access
to
recovery,
services
and
resources.
We'll
see
you
next
time
on
commissioners
corner.