火土海葬? 安泰殯儀館訪白禮頓樓談"未雨綢繆"

安泰殯儀館主席Christopher P.
Goulet，禮儀經理譚秀婷。
(白禮頓樓提供)  

                           (Boston Orange)中華耆英會白禮頓樓7月30日安排了一場”未雨綢謀”講座，請來安泰殯儀館主席Christopher P. Goulet，禮儀經理譚秀婷，由耆英會活動統籌朱麗芬協助翻譯，在茶點早餐中，解釋火葬、土葬和海葬的分別與處理步驟。

             人有生老病死，無論是自己，家人或親友，都有一天要面對喪葬問題。Christopher P. Goulet和譚秀婷在會中指出，及早考慮這些問題，預作處理，一旦生離死別的時刻來到，就不會驚慌。

              她們倆人解釋了火，土，海葬的處理步驟，也即席回答各種提問，包括預買墓地，若每年增值，權益是否會受損，棺木有購買或租用等不同選擇，棺木的材質，配件，也有防水石泥套或不防水的選擇，就看安排葬禮者的各自偏好。墓地價格在預購之後，一般可保持廿、三十年。

             由於每個人的需求不同，Christopher P. Goulet和譚秀婷建議，關心自己身後事者，最好先和家人，親友商量，並指定一個明白，了解並會遵照自己意願辦事的人，作為和殯儀館服務人員溝通的代表，提前做好一應準備。

             當天的講座以英文、廣東話和普通話同時進行。演講者還提點出席者，有疑問，可和他們聯繫，譚經理的電話是617-472-5888，中文專線617-657-9016。安泰殯儀館提供廣東話，普通話和台山話服務。地址是650 Hancock street，Quincy，MA 02170。

                    中華耆英會白禮頓樓8月份安排精彩夏日節目。請联系白禮顿樓朱小姐查詢報名（617）789-4289。中心地址：677 Cambridge Street, Brighton, MA 02135）。(內容白禮頓樓提供)

Baker-Polito Administration Launches $400,000 Natick Small Business Emergency Loan Fund

Baker-Polito Administration Launches $400,000 Natick Small Business Emergency Loan Fund

Loan fund will provide financial assistance to Natick businesses impacted by last week’s eight-alarm fire

NATICK – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a $400,000 emergency loan fund for businesses directly impacted by the July 22^nd fire in Natick.

The Natick Small Business Emergency Loan Fund will provide financial support to affected shops to help them open for business once again. Eligible businesses can immediately apply for loans from $5,000 to $50,000, with no payments for the first 30 days. 

“We are committed to helping Natick businesses rebuild after the devastating South Main Street fire,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Beyond the initial cleanup, we recognize that financial support is essential to their long-term recovery and hope this emergency fund will provide necessary aid during this difficult time.” 

“These Natick businesses are important to the financial wellbeing of the community as well as to the business owners and their families,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Our administration is proud to work with the MetroWest Chamber and the South Middlesex Opportunity Council to offer the kind of vital financial support needed for them rebuild and reopen as soon as possible.”

“I am thrilled funds are being made available to help these critical businesses as they continue to recover from the devastating July 22^nd fire,” said Senate President Karen Spilka. “These additional resources are a result of great collaboration between the Natick community, our legislative delegation and the administration.”

“Our administration prides itself on being responsive to communities and helping them thrive, including during difficult moments like this,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “This fund is intended to provide an important resource for the businesses affected by the devastating July fire and to sustain these important small businesses throughout the rebuilding process.”

“I am pleased to see a rapid and direct response from the administration to deliver much needed aid to the local businesses affected in this blaze,” said Senator Becca Rausch. “These business owners are part of the fabric of Natick Center, and supporting these invaluable community members is critical to helping the entire town heal. I am grateful for the leadership of Secretary Kennealy and my partnership with Senate President Spilka and Representative Linsky as we all help the community to rebuild, both with nuts and bolts and also emotional support for everyone affected.”

“I am grateful that the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development recognized the devastation that Natick endured through the loss of so many local business that embody what makes us such a great town. The Natick Small Business Emergency Loan Fund is a great opportunity for our community to move forward from this tragedy and come back even stronger,” said Representative David P. Linsky. “The collaboration of the many different partnership within the EOHED to make this opportunity available, particularly the MA Office of Business Development, is greatly appreciated and we look forward to the opportunity to rebuild.”

Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) capitalized the fund and will administer it, partnering with South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) and the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce for support.

“This loan fund can provide capital to these businesses affected by the devastating fire,” said MGCC President Larry Andrews. “We have seen Massachusetts small businesses remain resilient during very adverse situations. Their resolve to push through to success is stalwart and these funds can help to accelerate their recovery.”

“SMOC Financial Services recognizes that the survival of small businesses in our communities is critical to a vital local economy and job creation,” said SMOC Executive Director James T. Cuddy. “We are honored to partner with MGCC in this important effort that is closely aligned with our mission to provide low interest loans and technical assistance to longtime business owners who have played such a significant role in the economy and daily life of their community.”

“MetroWest is a generous and caring community, including the many Chamber member businesses and organizations who jumped in to help respond to the fire in Natick,” said Katherine Garrahan, Board Chair of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. “SMOC was at the front of the line to help – thank you to SMOC, Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, and state and local officials who responded without hesitation to create the Natick Small Business Emergency Loan Fund.”

Today’s announcement builds on the administration’s continued efforts to support Natick businesses, including the Department of Revenue’s announcement that it will waive any penalties associated with late-filed return or payment that was due on or after July 22^nd and before November 15^th for those impacted.

###

How to Apply:

Please complete the application found on MGCC’s websiteempoweringsmallbusiness.org/2019-natick-small-business-emergency-loan-fund. Completed applications can be sent via email to mgcc@massgcc.comwith the subject line “2019 Natick Small Business Emergency Loan Fund.”

MGCC can be reached by phone or email:

617-337-2815

mgcc@massgcc.com

Loan Fund Details:

•       Who Qualifies: Open to Massachusetts-based businesses in Natick impacted by the fire of July 22, 2019 (loss must be verifiable).

•       Terms and Conditions: This fund is being offered with a 3-year note, no payments for the first 30 days, then a 5-month moratorium on principal (interest due monthly), then 30-month of principal and interest and no prepayment penalties.  Businesses can apply for loans of $5,000 to $50,000.

AG HEALEY REPORT: MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS WHO SWITCHED TO COMPETITIVE ELECTRIC SUPPLY CONTINUE TO LOSE MILLIONS EACH YEAR

AG HEALEY REPORT: MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS WHO SWITCHED TO COMPETITIVE ELECTRIC SUPPLY CONTINUE TO LOSE MILLIONS EACH YEAR

AG Calls for Passage of State Legislation that Protects Competition While Stopping House-to-House Sales to Residential Customers

BOSTON – A report released today by Attorney General Maura Healey shows that even while rapid growth of municipal aggregation programs continues to improve choices for electric customers, Massachusetts residents who contract individually with competitive electric suppliers continue to lose millions of dollars per year. With the release of today’s report, AG Healey is renewing her call to stop these companies from making direct solicitations to residential customers. 

The AG’s new report, which expands upon her office’s original report on the industry from March 2018, found that Massachusetts electric customers who switched to a competitive electric supplier paid $76.2 million more than if they remained with their existing service during the one-year period from July 2017 to June 2018. This new data brings the total net losses to $253 million for Massachusetts customers over the course of three years (July 2015 – June 2018). The AG’s report also showed that low-income residents and communities of color are disproportionately impacted.

“Our concern remains that too many customers are being falsely promised big savings on their electricity bills and then overcharged month after month,” AG Healey said. “The results of our new report highlight the need for legislation to protect real competition and stop these predatory companies from scamming residents in Massachusetts.”

Today’s report also shows that of the 500,000 residents in the state that receive their electricity directly from a competitive supplier, low-income minority residents living in many of the state’s gateway cities including Boston, Brockton, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, New Bedford, Quincy, Springfield, and Worcester are continuing to be hit particularly hard by these companies. Low-income households participate in the individual residential electric supply market at twice the rate of non-low-income households, and on average pay rates that are 25 percent higher. The new report found that low-income households lost an average of $166 in the one-year period from 2017–2018.

In the last four years, residents in Massachusetts filed more than 1,000 complaints with the AG’s Office about competitive suppliers engaging in aggressive and deceptive tactics. Complaints include suppliers pretending to be a utility company to induce customers to turn over sensitive information; suppliers harassing customers with repeated calls or home visits; and door-to-door salespeople forcing their way into elderly customers’ homes and refusing to leave without a signed contract. 

In January, AG Healey filed legislation that would ban suppliers from contracting directly with residential customers for new contracts after Jan. 1, 2020. The legislation would not change Massachusetts’ cities and towns’ municipal aggregation programs or the markets for commercial and industrial electric supply.

As the state’s ratepayer advocate, AG Healey’s office has supported reforms to basic service and supported competitive products and services in the electricity market, including the expansion of power purchase agreements by large-scale commercial and industrial users of electricity—like manufacturers, hospitals, universities, and office parks—and by cities and towns that purchase power on behalf of their residential customers. 

As of 2019, over 120 cities and towns in Massachusetts provide electricity to their residents through municipal aggregation programs. Dozens more are in the process of setting up municipal aggregation programs—including Boston and Worcester—with the goal of providing competitive and often cleaner electricity options for residents.

Since AG Healey first called for reform in the competitive electric supply market, other states have undertaken similar efforts to protect consumers from these deceptive practices. In October 2018, then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan called for the Legislature to stop residential market contracting for competitive electricity suppliers in her state. In February 2019, the Connecticut consumer counsel and the chairman of the New York State Senate’s Energy and Telecommunications Committee each introduced legislation similar to AG Healey’s. 

Today’s report is part of AG Healey’s ongoing efforts to address unfair and deceptive practices in the individual residential electric supply market, which includes investigating and taking action against suppliers who violate the state’s consumer protection laws.

In March 2018, Viridian Energy LLC agreed to pay $5 million in restitution to consumers for allegedly engaging in various deceptive and unfair sales tactics to switch consumers into costly contracts. The AG’s Office also reached a $4 million settlement with Just Energy in December 2014 for deceptive marketing and sales, entering consumers into agreements without their consent, and charging costly termination fees.

In October 2018, the AG’s Office sued Starion Energy for allegedly falsely promising consumers electricity rate reductions in unsolicited telemarketing calls and pre-recorded robocalls and then charging those consumers tens of millions of dollars more than they would have paid if they stayed with their utility company.

In March 2019, AG Healey filed extensive comments with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), calling on the DPU to enact a series of regulatory measures that would help mitigate consumer harm for as long as suppliers continue to directly contract with residential electric customers, and requesting that the DPU investigate the impact of the individual residential electric supply market on the various low-income assistance programs and their participants.

Any resident or retailer with concerns about these deceptive marketing practices should file a complaint with the AG’s Office or call the consumer hotline at (617) 727-8400. Residents with questions can also contact the Consumer Division of the Department of Public Utilities at (877) 886-5066. 

The AG’s report was prepared by the Susan M. Baldwin Consulting firm.

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Elizabeth Anderson, Joseph Dorfler, Alexander Early, and Elizabeth Mahony, Deputy Division Chief Nathan Forster, and Division Chief Rebecca Tepper, all of AG Healey’s Energy & Telecommunications Division, along with Energy and Environment Bureau Chief Melissa Hoffer.

支持反送中 波士頓香港人8/4下午集會音樂快閃馬拉松

【#StandWithHK Music Flash Mob in Boston 波士頓港人音樂快閃馬拉松】

最近有關香港運動的連儂牆在海外不同大城市出現，波士頓的港人都在哈佛廣場建起屬於我們的一幅連儂牆，惟日前被中國人塗毀，被逼把連儂牆拆下。連儂牆源自於捷克首都布拉格，以John Lennon的名稱命名，激發當時抗共產主義的思潮。時至今日，連儂牆依然是愛與和平的象徵。

2014年雨傘革命，連儂牆第一次出現於香港，開放給市民張貼他們的訴求，及為示威者打氣。後來在今次的反送中運動中再現，在港九新界十八區皆有蹤跡，感動人心的畫卻也惹起一連串的暴力衝突，但示威者心不死，拆咗再掛。同時，名曲Do You Hear The People Sing亦在運動中被香港人用來表達他們對民主自由的追求。

連儂牆被拆後，波士頓港人一同在自製流動連動牆的陪同下，在市中心高唱Do You Hear The People Sing，向外國人宣揚反送中運動，同時為香港的示威者打氣。接下來，我們希望趁著星期日，突襲多個波士頓高人流的地點，馬拉松式地舉行音樂及流動連儂牆的快閃行動。請大家穿著黑衫出席，歡迎帶同標語或物資（例如水、食物）過來給我們的朋友，為他們打氣。

日期：八月四日（星期日）
路線：[集合] Faneuil Hall (Quincy Market字樣前) → Downtown Crossing (行人區) → Park Street (近Boston Common的出口) → Harvard Square (Mass Ave出口後的公共空間)
時間：下午二時至三時
**請穿著黑衫**


Hong Kong Lennon Wall has been found in overseas cities recently in supporting the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong, including the one in Boston, at Harvard Square. Unfortunately, it was interrupted by mainland Chinese people and was taken down under police order today. Lennon Wall is originated from Prague, Czech Republic. It was named after John Lennon and was used as a platform for anti-communism ideology. Nowadays, Lennon Wall has become an icon of love and peace.

Lennon Wall first appeared in Hong Kong in 2014 during the Umbrella Revolution, promoting freedom of speech and welcoming everyone to express their opinions. Five years later in HK’s anti-extradition movement, Lennon Wall appeared again in all 18 towns in Hong Kong. Despite intentional breaking, protesters protects and restores it over and over. Meanwhile, famous song “Do You Hear The People Sing” is also widely used by Hongkongers in social movements in pursuance of democracy and freedom.

After the Harvard Lennon Wall was taken down, Hongkongers in Boston once again gathered in Downtown Crossing, with DIY Lennon boards, and sang “Do You Hear The People Sing” in the plaza. We hope to promote the movement to foreigners and show our support to protesters in Hong Kong. Following that, we hope to hold a music flash mob again this Sunday in four of the most crowded place in Boston. Please wear black attires as our dress code. And you are welcomed to bring along signs or materials like water and food for our friends as a support.

Date: August 4 (Sunday)
Route: [meeting point] Faneuil Hall (In front of Quincy Market) → Downtown Crossing (Pedestrian zone between Macy & Primark) → Park Street (Exit close to Boston Common) → Harvard Square (Open space behind the Mass Ave exit)
Time: 2pm-3pm
Dress code: Black shirt

轉載:
Frances Hui 許穎婷

July 29 at 7:15 PM · 

【請廣傳】【波士頓連儂牆被中國人塗毀 被迫拆除】
波士頓連儂牆昨天於哈佛建成，我們義工昨今兩日便一直輪流監察，避免有人搗亂。皆因不少旅行團都會經過該路線，先前已經分別有中國旅客拆下牆上字條，及濫用我們的物資在牆上大貼字條。剛才大概下午四時，一位義工在連儂牆旁邊工作，而我同另一位義工則在對面Campus center休息。後來我遠望察覺到下面的那位義工與另外三位男子互相指手畫腳，感覺情況稍有不妥，便下去支援。

據我們義工同途人描述，有一位白衫嘅中國年輕人用我們的marker在牆中心的poster上寫下字句，雖然字樣模糊，但相信是寫住 “Hong Kong Fuck You Mother”。後來義工上前阻止時，該白衫男子便已逃離現場，現場餘下三個中國男生。該義工指，因為四人先前有交談過，認為他們四人是朋友，故開始質問那三位男子，但三人一直否認與該行動者有關，雙方其後出現口角。

後來我同另一位義工到場，當時雙方尚算理性，我上前了解，嘗試調停不果。其中三位之中一個穿黑衫的男子向我解釋指，他們並沒有在牆上畫字，亦不認識畫字的人，但我卻觀察到他同時手拿我們的黑色marker。當時香港來的遊客路過見證事情發生，故停步拍下爭執過程，對方也拿出手機拍攝我們。因為該義工其實是今次連儂牆的發起人，故情緒開始變得激動，便伸手嘗試阻擋對方拍攝，演變成輕微的肢體碰撞。因此該名義工報警處理，雙方也十分合作，留待警方到達處理。

後來警察分別與我們落口供，了解情況後便作出調停，雙方各自離開。但由於連儂牆設於地鐵站上蓋，屬於麻省鐵路系統管理，所以警察要求我們盡快把牆上的東西拆下。

事件中無人受傷，亦無人被捕。在此想特別嗚謝Cambridge的警察，在與我落口供過程，主動問及連儂牆背後的意念及訊息，更請求我去為他們翻譯一些牆上的中文字條，了解當中有否出現含仇恨性的言論（言論自由在美國是不容納仇恨性言論的）。他們的專業對比起香港警察偏頗的執法手段，大相逕庭，令我們也安全解散。亦感謝在場路過的四位香港人，從拍下事發經過、看顧財物，到幫忙拆牆，互不相識卻出手相助。

雖然連儂牆已經拆下，但我們明天的活動將會繼續如期進行，改用流動連儂牆的形式，在Downtown Crossing舉行。我們也希望大家一起出來，繼續支持香港的運動，並將訊息帶給更多的群眾。

活動詳情：https://www.facebook.com/events/456143168449503/

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES CITY OF BOSTON AWARDED $75,000 TO ADDRESS YOUTH HOMELESSNESS THROUGH THE CREATION OF CAREER PATHWAYS

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES CITY OF BOSTON AWARDED $75,000 TO ADDRESS YOUTH HOMELESSNESS THROUGH THE CREATION OF CAREER PATHWAYS

BOSTON - Friday, July 26, 2019 - Building on Mayor Martin J. Walsh's long-standing commitment to creating a coordinated response to youth homelessness, the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (OWD) was recently awarded $75,000 as part of the Heartland Alliance's National Center on Employment & Homelessness' Pathways Forward Challenge to help incorporate workforce development efforts into the City of Boston's ongoing response to addressing youth and young adult homelessness. The grant will be used over a two-and-a-half year period to facilitate regular convenings of leadership from workforce development programs, housing and homelessness service agencies, and youth with lived experience of homelessness. The overarching goal of these meetings is to ensure Boston's workforce development ecosystem more effectively meets the needs of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness and housing instability. "In Boston, we know several factors play a role in housing instability, including  economic mobility," said Mayor Walsh. "By including workforce development in the conversation on homelessness, we are building on the collaborative work that is underway to ensure everyone can call Boston home." At the convenings, members will address issues such as improving procedures for identifying youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The culmination of this work will result in the production and publication of a report which will bring broader attention to the intersection of workforce development and homelessness issues that impact youth and young adults.  "With guidance from Mayor Walsh, our office is uniquely positioned to drive systemic change that can create access to career pathway opportunities for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness," said OWD Director Trinh Nguyen. "We know there is a role for each of us in helping to end youth homelessness, especially in the workforce industry. From job training to mentorship to building career pathways, we can ensure that all young adults have access to the same resources and opportunities." OWD will work with a variety of city agencies and outside organizations for this project, including: the City's Department of Neighborhood Development, the City's Health and Human Services Cabinet, Boston Youth Action Board, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and St. Francis House.  "We know that increasing access to employment is one of the keys to solving the problem of homelessness among youth and young adults," said Laila Bernstein, Advisor to the Mayor for the Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness. "Gainful employment provides skills and training that can lead to future jobs and also provides connections and relationships that can help prevent youth and young adults from becoming homeless again. We are excited to work with our partner agencies and workforce providers to connect homeless youth with opportunities in the workplace." Mayor Walsh highlighted unaccompanied youth and young adults as one of the priority populations in Boston's Way Home, the City's action plan to end chronic homelessness. The plan outlines resources for youth and young adults to access better permanent connections, education and employment, and improve their health and well-being. To date, the plan has resulted in ending chronic homelessness among veterans and a 36 percent reduction in overall veteran homelessness. Additionally, through this plan, the City has experienced a 20 percent reduction in chronic homelessness over the last 3 years. Boston's Way Home is supported by the Boston's Way Home Fund, established as part of Mayor Walsh's second-term inauguration. The fund will help to create 200 units of supportive, sustainable, long-term housing for homeless men and women.  Mayor Walsh's Fiscal Year 2020 budget includes significant investments aimed at ending homelessness, such as $1 million to provide connections to employment, rental assistance and supportive services for youth. In addition, the FY20 budget includes an investment that will fund four formerly homeless individuals to work as peer navigators across shelters in Boston connecting individuals currently experiencing chronic homelessness with permanent housing pathways. The budget also includes an expansion in outreach services to provide assessment, crisis intervention and intensive case management services to unsheltered individuals drawn to spaces and resources of the Boston Public Library. Earlier this year, Heartland Alliance's National Initiatives on Poverty & Economic Opportunity put out a call to communities across the nation for ideas on how to increase employment and income for people experiencing homelessness through systems change. After a rigorous review process, Boston was selected as one of seven communities selected to advance their systems ideas through the Pathways Forward Challenge. The other communities include: Allegheny County, PA, Baltimore, MD, Chicago, IL, Houston/Harris County, TX, Santa Clara County, CA and Tarrant County, TX. The selected communities will receive financial resources, technical assistance and support from the Heartland Alliance.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES BOSTON WILL HAVE OVERDOSE REVERSAL KITS AT CITY BUILDINGS

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES BOSTON WILL HAVE OVERDOSE REVERSAL KITS AT CITY BUILDINGS

Naloxone donation will further enhance the City's overdose prevention efforts BOSTON - Saturday, July 27, 2019 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the City of Boston will be installing opioid overdose reversal kits in municipal buildings, thanks to a $30,000 donation from Aetna. The donation will be used to install kits containing the overdose reversal medication naloxone (Narcan), clear instructions for its use, and other medical supplies to assist individuals who experience an overdose. Prior to implementation, the Mayor's Office of Recovery Services will offer on-site voluntary overdose prevention and naloxone administration trainings to all interested City employees.   "Increasing access to naloxone has been a core strategy in the City's approach to countering the opioid epidemic," said Mayor Walsh. "The unfortunate reality is that overdoses occur in all parts of our City, including in and around City buildings. By ensuring that City of Boston buildings have naloxone on-site and that employees are trained on how to use it in an emergency, we can continue to lead in the national fight against this epidemic." Following successful pilots at all Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) buildings and select Boston Public Library locations, opioid overdose reversal kits will now be available to use in case of an emergency at Boston City Hall, 26 Court Street, and 43 Hawkins Street. All remaining city buildings will have kits by the end of the calendar year.  "We are dedicated to helping prevent and address opioid misuse in the communities we serve," said Aetna Senior Vice President Erich Twachtman. "By increasing the availability of Narcan across Boston, we hope it will give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery." Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses, by binding to opioid receptors to reverse and block the effects of opioids. Naloxone cannot be abused, and does not have significant adverse side effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has encouraged workplaces, particularly those that serve the public, to keep naloxone on-site and establish a policy for responding to overdoses.  Last year, Boston EMS recorded the use of naloxone for 1,928 patients. The City trains and distributes overdose reversal kits throughout the community and trainings are offered online, by request and twice-monthly drop-in trainings open to the public. Last year, the Recovery Services team trained over 6,600 people, and received reports of over 2,300 overdose reversals. The Mayor's Office of Recovery Services supports businesses and other organizations to establish protocols for responding to overdoses in their buildings and implement overdose prevention plans.  In 2014, Mayor Walsh announced that all first responders would carry the overdose reversal medication naloxone, expanding its reach to the Boston Fire Department and the Boston Police Department. The City of Boston's Post-Overdose Response Team (PORT) conducts follow-up visits after non-fatal overdoses. PORT, a collaboration between Recovery Services,the Boston Fire Department, and Boston EMS connects individuals and families with overdose prevention information, including naloxone, and recovery services through in-person home visits. In his first term, Mayor Walsh made expanding access to recovery services in Boston a priority by creating the Office of Recovery Services to study substance use in Boston and lead the city's strategy around substance use disorders, addiction and recovery. This is the first municipal recovery office in the nation. The City has taken a comprehensive approach to tackle the opioid epidemic. The City serves people in all stages of the continuum of care, from providing harm reduction services to ensure people can maintain health in various aspects of their lives, to connecting people with beds at treatment programs, to offering outpatient care and long-term peer supports. The City of Boston is planning an innovative and holistic recovery campus on Long Island that will expand essential recovery services for the region, fill gaps in the continuum of care and utilize the natural environment to provide a healing space. The City has contracted with Gensler and Ascension Recovery Services to identify the types of services, resources and treatment options that would be best suited for the island and create a master plan for the recovery campus. Continuing these efforts, the City of Boston filed a complaint in Suffolk Superior Court against 13 opioid manufacturers, four distributors, and one local doctor that have contributed to the local opioid epidemic through misleading marketing and reckless dissemination of opioids that has led to the deaths of more than 830 Boston residents since 2014. As part of the litigation, the City is seeking to recover both past and future damages and injunctive relief associated with addressing the opioid epidemic in Boston. For more information about overdose prevention, please visit: boston.gov/recovery.