Governor Baker Announces $700,000 in Naloxone Grants for First Responders

Governor Baker Announces $700,000 in Naloxone Grants for First Responders

Equips police and fire departments in 40 communities with resources to reverse opioid overdoses

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced that $700,000 will be awarded to police and fire departments in 40 communities heavily impacted by the Commonwealth’s opioid epidemic, facilitating the purchasing, carrying and administering of the opioid overdose reversal drug, naloxone.

“This grant will help save more lives as our administration continues to pursue new and wide-ranging tools to combat the opioid epidemic, including the ability for medical personnel to intervene with those who have overdosed,” said Governor Baker. “We look forward to continuing to work with the legislature to pass meaningful reforms, and are pleased to support our first responders’ access to immediate, life-saving resources.”

Last year as part of comprehensive recommendations from the Governor’s opioid working group, the administration established a bulk purchasing fund allowing first responders in municipal entities to access the state rate for naloxone purchases, and when available, receive an additional discount. Governor Baker has also filed landmark legislation to provide medical personnel with the power to intervene with patients suffering from addiction, control the spread of addictive prescription opioids and increase education about substance use disorder (SUD) for providers and in the community.

“Today’s announcement, along with the creation of the bulk purchasing fund, will increase the amount of naloxone available in hot-spot communities where it is needed most,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “These resources will help ease the costs of medication, enabling our firefighters and police officers to save more lives.”

Grants for $10,000 to $50,000 are being awarded to the following communities:

Attleboro, Barnstable, Beverly, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Framingham, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Medford, New Bedford, North Attleboro, Peabody, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Saugus, Somerville, Springfield, Stoughton, Taunton, Waltham, Wareham, Westfield, Weymouth, Winthrop, Woburn, Worcester

“There is no faster and more effective way to reverse an opioid overdose than to administer naloxone,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.“It is imperative we do everything we can to counteract the epidemic of opioid addiction by providing as many first responders as possible the opportunity to use this life-saving medication.”

“The use of naloxone is one of our state’s greatest success stories in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” said DPH Commissioner Monica Bharel.  “This funding will allow more first responders in our hardest hit communities to have access to this safe, life-saving drug.”

Only municipalities that met the following criteria were eligible to apply:

• an average annual rate of 6.0 and above of unintentional/undetermined opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 and
• an average annual count of unintentional/undetermined opioid overdose deaths of 4.0 and above (2009-2013).

The award amounts were calculated by taking the total allocation ($700,000) and dividing it among the applicants based on the population of the municipality.

The Baker-Polito Administration has already implemented many reforms aimed at curbing the Commonwealth’s opioid epidemic, including $114 million in this year’s budget for substance abuse prevention and changes to the Prescription Monitoring Program’s reporting requirement. One hundred and thirteen treatment beds have opened in six communities (Quincy, Plymouth, New Bedford, Boston, Westborough, Fall River) with more expected in Greenfield this winter. 

A full update on the Governor’s Opioid Working Group’s progress can be found at:www.mass.gov/statewithoutstigma.

喬莉中文學校才藝表演

纽英伦中华侨立中文学校才艺表演暨颁奖典礼

纽英伦中华侨立中文学校日前举行了“纽英伦中华侨立中文学校2015—2016学年度才艺表演暨颁奖典礼”（以下简称颁奖典礼），这是本学年度首个学术活动，经过初赛和决赛，共有51名优胜者上台表演并领奖。同时，部分家长代表应邀出席。

     颁奖典礼由资深老师朱绮文和贾昉主持，表演曲目形式多样，有唱歌、朗诵、讲故事、小品和舞蹈等，内容健康，传递正能量。特别是三年级星期日班廖文斌等六位同学表演的小品〖放眼世界，学好中文〗，表演者人人字正腔圆，表情丰富，惟妙惟肖，活泼生动。其精彩的表演，赢得了在场嘉宾和师生们的热烈掌声。表演期间，还有互动环节，使大家在欣赏精彩节目之余，乐在其中。

     表演完毕，刘红校长给各位获奖的同学颁发了奖状和精美的奖品，并和获奖的同学、在场的嘉宾及老师们合影留念。

     这次学术活动赢得了家长和师生们的一致好评，大家都认为才艺表演比赛能给学生们提供一个上台展现自我的平台，有助于提高同学们的中文听说能力和自信心，激发他们学习中文的兴趣。

台灣科技部推動「2016年科技台灣探索 – 候鳥計畫」接受報名

台灣科技部推動「2016年科技台灣探索 – 候鳥計畫」(Taiwan Tech Trek, TTT)，並開始接受海外青年線上報名

為使海外台裔青年認識台灣之風土、文化及產經等方面之發展，能有與台灣產官學界交流之機會，厚植未來在學術或工作上與台灣合作，或回台服務、創業之基礎，行政院的科技部特推出「候鳥計畫」，提供海外台裔青年回台進行短期研究或實習之機會。

以上計畫的實習種類包括至台灣政府機關、學術研究機構、民營企業及非營利機的「個人實習」，及由4至8人組成，針對現今或未來之科技發展、台灣參與國際或其他相關主題做研究之「專案議題」。除了實習外，還安排6天5夜之團體訓練活動，幫助學員由多面向認識台灣，及規劃課堂講座，以汲取專業人士的成功經驗。此外，尚安排參訪台灣的風土民情，及實地接觸家鄉史地文化。以上計畫自2016年1月7日至2月2日止，接受年齡18至30歲之台裔海外青年報名，實習期間自2016年6月19日至8月13日。擬瞭解詳細報名資格及線上報名之海外青年，請至以下科技部網站：https://www.most.gov.tw/ttt或https://ap0512.most.gov.tw/ttt/。    

僑務委員會2016年僑商連鎖加盟創業觀摩團開始招生

僑務委員會2016年僑商連鎖加盟創業觀摩團開始招生

僑務委員會為鼓勵僑胞回國交流商機，並配合「2016年臺北國際連鎖加盟大展」，邀請有意創業展業及瞭解國內連鎖加盟業現況之海外僑商增進相關專業知能，擴大海內外連鎖加盟商機，媒合臺灣優質連鎖企業至海外展業，將於2016年3月9日至16日開辦「2016年僑商連鎖加盟創業觀摩團」。

本活動活動內容包含3場連鎖加盟創業專題講座、參訪北部至中部共至少6家績優連鎖企業及交流座談、至國內優質連鎖餐飲店用餐體驗及安排商機洽談會等。

該活動師資、企業參訪(含至中部企業參訪1晚住宿)、活動期間午晚餐(觀展2日除外)及場地等費用由僑務委員會負擔，參加者自付由僑居地往返之交通費用及活動期間除中部參訪1日以外之各日住宿費，歡迎具媒促國內連鎖加盟產業拓展國際經驗及有意於僑居地開創連鎖加盟事業之僑臺商，請於2016年1月20日前向波士頓華僑文教服務中心提出報名申請，並可至全球僑商服務網（http://www.ocbn.org.tw）/「最新消息」或至僑務委員會網站（http://www.ocac.gov.tw）/「公告事項-開班」下載活動預定日程表及報名表。

僑務委員會中華函授學校2016學年開始招生

僑務委員會中華函授學校2016學年開始招生囉!

中華民國僑務委員會中華函授學校提供海外僑胞華文師資培訓、學習華語文、中華文化及專業技能的管道，自1940年開辦迄今，每年均開設華語文及技職教育類課程，供海外僑胞免費選讀。2016學年自2016年1月10日起函授及網路課程開始受理報名，歡迎海外僑胞踴躍報名選讀。

中華函授學校2016學年續開設「華文教師科」、「實用華語文科」、「文史藝術科」、「農工科」、「商業及管理科」、「家庭與兒童科」、「餐飲科」、「電腦資訊科」及「中小學進修科」等共9學科，並新增華文教師科「華語正音與教學」、「語義學」及「閱讀理解與策略教學」；文史藝術科「篆刻藝術」、「歌仔戲藝術之美」；農工科「有機栽培」；商業及管理科「成本會計」以及家庭與兒童科「生命教育」等課程，總計多達100多種課程供僑胞免費選讀。

函校自2016學年起所有網路課程全面提供「隨選隨上」服務，於2016年1月10日至10月31日間，可隨時以遠距方式修讀各類網路課程，選讀課程數無上限。另外，為順應行動學習趨勢，函校推出新版遠距學習網站及更友善介面的數位學習平臺，使用平版電腦能觀看今年的新課程，提供學員行動學習新選擇！

意者請至「中華函授學校遠距學習網(http://chcs-opencourse.org）

最新消息專區下載招生簡章、課程一覽表及報名表報名，或直接辦理線上報名，亦可向中華民國駐當地使領館或代表處/辦事處、華僑文教服務中心、函校海外各同學會洽詢。中華函授學校服務專線：886-2-2282-9355分機6615，電子信箱：ocac.chcs@gmail.com／chcs@ocac.org.tw。

吳弭再締造歷史 當選為波士頓市議會首名華裔市議長

Michelle Wu's Inauguration Speech

Thank you fellow Boston City Councilors.

Thank you for putting your trust in me to support your work and to lead the meetings of this council over the next two years.

I am proud to be a member of the Boston City Council and grateful to work with colleagues who are strong advocates and good people. Thank you, Councilor Linehan, for your leadership over the last two years.

I want to recognize all the family, friends, and guests who are here with us today as we embark on a new term.

Your love and support makes our work possible and often comes with great personal sacrifice.  We are so grateful to have you as partners in service to the City. I’m of course most grateful for my lovely family – my husband Conor, my sisters Sherelle and Tori who are here. Don’t worry, Blaise is in the building - down in City Hall Child Care on the 4^th floor.

He’s in these chambers so often that I’m sure he’s already banged the gavel before mom has.

I also want to thank our City Clerk Maureen Feeney--former Council President—as well as the City Council Central Staff and all Councilors’ staff members. You are often our eyes and ears, and you keep everything running smoothly.

We appreciate the work that you will be putting in these next two years to make our city’s government a voice and service for our fellow citizens.

And thank you to Mayor Walsh, who just presided over a beautiful Inauguration ceremony earlier this morning. His leadership has helped to set a tone of collaboration and partnership with the Council.
Together with the Mayor, the Boston City Council has been taking the lead on important issues where state and federal government has yet to act.

Over the last term, we stood up for working families, passing paid parental leave for city workers.

We passed the Trust Act, highlighting that Boston is a city where immigrant families are welcome.

We passed a diesel emissions reduction ordinance, to make sure Boston is setting the standard for sustainability.

We created opportunities for small businesses and artists, reducing red tape to encourage more vibrant neighborhoods.

I look forward to continuing to partner with the Mayor and his Administration in making strides forward for our city.

Today we officially welcome our two newest colleagues,
Councilor Andrea Campbell and Councilor Annissa Essaibi George.

Congratulations, and thank you for stepping up to serve.

Your voices will be important additions to the conversations in this Chamber and your service will be felt throughout the city.  

Know that all of our doors will be open to you as you work towards the goals that called you to run for office.

To all my colleagues: your willingness to subject yourselves to spotlight and scrutiny – sometimes fair, often unfair – testifies to character and integrity in each of you. It’s easy to give up and be cynical or critical from the sidelines, but you’ve had the courage to put yourselves forward and that says something special about each of you. I’m proud to serve with you all.

Today’s Boston City Council brings together diverse experiences and family backgrounds.  

Some of us are from families who came to Boston generations ago, and some from families who arrived more recently.

We are former labor union members, entrepreneurs, long-time City employees, public interest attorneys, and a teacher.  

We are moms and dads, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors.

These experiences--struggles and joys--truly matter. In this Chamber, every debate is informed by our own families’ lives and those of our constituents.

We don’t just think and talk about policy, but feel the challenges and impacts.

We are sworn in today at a time of historic inequality and uneven opportunity in our country and our city.

This lack of opportunity has led to stark divisions in Boston.

In some parts of our City, we see increased profits, gleaming offices, and growing workforces.

But in too many parts of our City, we see skyrocketing housing costs, nightly gunshots, devastating opioid addiction, insufficient mental health supports, imbalanced schools, and stagnant wages that haven’t kept pace with the costs of supporting a family. 

We have a wealth gap that splits along lines of race and geography.

Too many Bostonians are worrying that coming generations will be worse off, and will have it harder than their parents or their grandparents did.

Against this backdrop, the work of city government is more vital than ever.

In this term, we will take action on reducing income inequality, reforming our criminal justice system, improving educational opportunities, and preparing for climate change.

This Council comprises 13 strong and committed advocates who have knowledge and experience confronting many of the issues we’re facing. 

Our committee assignments will make the most not only of your knowledge and experience, but also of your passion for and commitment to specific issues. By putting you to work on the things you care about most, we will create a climate that revolves around a fundamental principle: your achievements are the Council’s achievements, and your success is the Council’s success.

This term, we will create new committees to focus our resources on today’s pressing challenges:

·     A new committee on Homelessness, Mental Health & Recovery

·     A new committee on Jobs, Wages & Workforce Development

·     A finer focus with reshaped committees on Environment & Sustainability, and on Parks, Recreation & Transportation.

·     An expanded committee to include not just Public Safety, but Public Safety & Criminal Justice

Most of all, we will open up the business of the Council with a focus on transparency and accessibility.

Working with the Administration, we will relaunch the Boston City Council website to make legislative dockets, committee hearing schedules, and Council business easier to understand and track online.

We will bring the Council directly into the neighborhoods, asking each Committee Chair to host a Town Hall on his or her Committee’s area of focus to help us set an action agenda for the term.

Boston has a history of showing that citizens can make a difference.

Democracy started here, and we will carry on that legacy, knowing that the key to progress is empowering people to get involved.

There is much to be done, and there is great energy on this Council and in this city to do it.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead this body, and the opportunity to continue to serve this city we all love. Together, I look forward to working with all of you to expand opportunity for all Boston residents, and make our government more transparent, accessible, and inclusive.

(Photos provided by Michelle Wu's office.)

MAYOR WALSH'S ONEin3 COUNCIL NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

MAYOR WALSH'S ONEin3 COUNCIL NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Council Serves as Leadership in City's Efforts to Engage Boston's Millennial Population

BOSTON - "Boston is known for having the best and brightest talent, and I look forward to seeing the great work to come from this year's ONEin3 Council," said Mayor Walsh. "The work that ONEin3 does to engage our young adult population in the issues that impact them the most is a critically important part of our efforts to move the City forward for everyone." The ONEin3 Council serves as the leadership for ONEin3, a civic engagement initiative that aims to empower and support Boston's millennial population through active citizenship. The Council will spend this year overseeing volunteers and managing projects that will increase young adult participation in city government and civic affairs. The Council will provide strong leadership in order to build a community of active, involved young adults from all over the city, working together to make Boston an inviting, connected, culturally rich and sustainable place for young people to live. The 2016 ONEin3 Council will reflect the diversity of Boston's young adult population and will be representative of their wide variety of interests and experiences. Last year's Council was comprised of 31 Boston residents, including 16 women and 15 men who live in 17 neighborhoods across Boston, and work in 22 different industries. In order to be eligible, applicants must be between the ages of 20-34 and live in Boston. The 2016 ONEin3 Council will be installed in March, after which point any young adult wishing to be involved with ONEin3 will be welcome to attend open meetings and volunteer time, energy and talent to further ONEin3's mission of empowering and supporting Boston's millennial population. Applications for the 2016 ONEin3 Council can be found here. For more information on the ONEin3 program, please visit www.ONEin3Boston.com. ABOUT ONEin3 With more than one-third of our population between the ages of 20-34, Boston is home to the highest proportion of young adults out of any major city in America. Recognizing the importance of engaging this demographic, the Mayor launched ONEin3 to serve as the connection between the City of Boston and its millennial population. Through its various programs and events,the Mayor's ONEin3 initiative builds relationships, increases civic engagement and promotes active citizenship to empower and support Boston's young adults.