(Boston Orange編譯)波士頓市長吳弭(Michelle Wu)與公共衛生委員會(BPHC)29日宣佈,撥款70萬美元成立「社區用藥過量防治基金」,資助6家在地機構制定計劃,營運到2028年中,並擴大戒癮輔導與街頭外展服務,打造更完善的救援網絡。
這項資金源自藥廠濫用鴉片類藥物訴訟的和解金。受惠於近年推動的各項措施,波士頓2025年藥物過量致死人數大幅下降29%,創近十年新低。
此次獲選機構有Boston HEAT、Bowdoin Street Health Center、Casa Esperanza、Community Caring Clinic、North Suffolk Community Services,以及Upham’s Community Care等六家社區中心。
BPHC前一輪資助已成功協助近2,000人接受治療,並分發超過5,100劑過量急救藥物(naloxone)。官方指出,這套結合防制、治療與街頭支援的策略,將持續為居民打造更具彈性且完善的戒癮復原網絡。BPHC也拓展PAATHS個案管理服務,指派專員協助受助者克服交通、語言及住房等障礙。
俗稱「紅衫軍」的街頭外展服務隊將延長巡邏時段,平日清晨5點至晚間11點全面巡查公園與校園,清理針頭並提供戒癮轉介。
BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION ANNOUNCES $700,000 IN OVERDOSE RESPONSE GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Boston Public Health Commission is also announcing expansion of care coordination and street outreach initiatives.
BOSTON – Tuesday, September 29, 2026 –Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) are announcing the official launch of a new $700,000 round of Community Overdose Response Grant funding. This funding will allow local organizations to establish community-informed overdose prevention and response programs. BPHC is also announcing the expansion of the PAATHS (Providing Access to Addictions Treatment, Hope and Support) program, which supports substance use care and treatment coordination, and additional street outreach capacity. Together, these initiatives offer Boston residents a holistic continuum of care throughout their recovery journey. These programs and investments have contributed to a 29% drop in deadly overdoses in 2025 compared to the previous year. 2025 also saw the fewest deadly overdoses in Boston in a decade.
“Everyone on the path to recovery should be able to easily access the resources, guidance and support they need to build a healthy life,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This expansion will improve access to the Boston Public Health Commission’s existing recovery services while creating a more coordinated system of support to connect residents with care that meets their individual needs.”
“Because recovery looks different for every person, support should be flexible enough to meet people wherever they are,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. “By continuing to invest in our community organizations, we are strengthening our neighborhood networks of care, building a more collaborative response to the substance use crisis and ultimately saving lives”.
Following reviews by a community committee, the city, and BPHC, the new round of Community Overdose Response Grants will support overdose prevention programming at six community organizations through mid-2028. This funding is the result of major litigation that resulted in pharmaceutical companies paying settlements for their involvement in fueling the opioid epidemic that killed nearly 3,000 people in Boston from 2015 to 2024. The grant recipients are:
Boston HEAT
Bowdoin Street Health Center
Casa Esperanza
Community Caring Clinic
North Suffolk Community Services
Upham’s Community Care
The new grants build on the impact of BPHC’s previous community overdose prevention investments. In 2024, BPHC awarded grants to five community organizations that successfully connected nearly 2,000 people to substance use treatment and other services, trained 760 people in overdose prevention, and distributed 5,100 doses of the overdose-reversing medication naloxone.
“We are thankful to the Boston Public Health Commission for their support to expand access to treatment,” said Samantha Taylor, MHA, Executive Director, Bowdoin Street Health Center. “Effectively addressing substance use requires community-based solutions, and this funding will help connect more people we serve to care when they need it most.”
“Upham's Community Care is grateful for these funds to continue to close the health equity gap our communities are facing, while bringing awareness to our neighbors on how we can all play a part in aiding those struggling with the disease of addiction,” said Andrew Pinto, Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator of Upham’s Community Care.
Beyond individual care coordination, BPHC is also strengthening provider and agency collaboration across Boston. The Mass and Cass Table is a case conferencing initiative co-chaired by the BPHC Recovery Services Bureau and Boston Police Department Citywide Hub program. For the past year, more than twenty agencies from across Boston have gathered weekly to support individuals with high behavioral health and housing needs. Coordinating continuously, the agencies have linked clients to a range of services, addressing multiple needs simultaneously and facilitating 90 connections to care.
BPHC has also expanded the service hours of the Recovery Services Bureau (RSB) Street Outreach team. Known as the “Red Shirts” because of their bright uniforms, the team is responsible for engaging individuals, connecting them and transporting them to care, and syringe collection. The team conducts proactive sweeps of parks and schools every morning and afternoon to clear syringe litter. Earlier this year, the team expanded service hours and now operates from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on weeknights and 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends.