Page 30 - BusinessWest November 11, 2024

has been an emphasis on reaching out into the community, rather than wait for people struggling with addiction to walk through the doors.
“By going to the individual instead of waiting for them to come to us, we’ve noticed a big increase in our numbers, and also our success rate,” DiRosa said. “It’s just providing our resources, letting them know that what we have
to offer. If they’re already seeking our services, then we ask them to bring
the word of mouth back to their loved ones or people they might know in the community.”
Kimberley Lee, MiraVista’s chief of Creative Strategy and Development,
“It is heartening to see this significant decrease in fatal overdoses — a direct result of the ongoing hard work in our communities to reach those struggling with substance-use disorder.”
to engage individuals,” she explained. “What’s really heartwarming and
really supports our work is that, when you’re in a park, and you make a con- nection with an individual, and you give them your card and the flyer, they may not be ready in that moment. But the next day, we see them in the front lobby. It’s very reassuring to know that type of connection has worked for that individual, and then to see them prog- ress from when they first arrived to later on in their treatment — to see the change, the metamorphosis that takes place for these individuals.”
DiRosa called it “planting seeds.” And in his role, he can help people grow those seeds from a place of
empathy and compassion.
He’s currently involved in a pro-
gram called State Opioid Response, which provides extra funding to MiraVista’s outpatient methadone clinic to help those who need extra resouces to be successful throughout their recovery.
“What that might look like is, they would come to me and let me know they’re in need of — let’s say hous-
ing, or they lost their insurance, or maybe they need a new cell phone because theirs broke, or whatever the case may be. My role is to look out in the community, find those resources, bring it back to them, and bridge the gap. That way, they can continue to be successful in their recovery.
“Especially in early recovery,
it’s very easy for them to get over- whelmed with all these steps or goals that they have in mind. A lot of times, they don’t have the guidance; they don’t have the support,” he added. “So we’re making sure that we’re sup- porting our clients, making sure we’re finding those resources out in the community for them.”
By reaching out and bridging these gaps, DiRosa said he’s helping to pro- vide hope at a critical time.
“A lot of times, we meet individuals on the streets that might not have an ID, might not have insurance, and we tell them, ‘hey, we can still get you in and get you enrolled.’ So I’m not only providing resources in-house, but also bringing resources out to the streets, which has been pretty successful, in my opinion.”
Mixed Bag of Data
This outreach and support work is especially critical in MiraVista’s envi- rons. While opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts decreased by 10% in 2023 — the largest single-year decline since 2009-10 — according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) data, Holyoke actually saw an increase.
Statewide, there were 2,125 con- firmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023 — 232 fewer than in 2022, when Massachusetts had a record 2,357 fatal opioid-related overdoses. As noted, the opioid-relat-
DR. ROBBIE GOLDSTEIN
agreed that proactive outreach is mak- ing a difference.
“We’ve gone into parks, we’ve gone and hung out at McDonald’s on Apple-
ton Street, in front of other well-known high-traffic areas. We’re just setting up a table, having a little snack, bottles of water, and using that as an opportunity
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