Boston
The state Department of Public Health’s latest report on opioid-related overdose deaths, showing a considerable decrease, suggests that the tireless efforts of our community may be bringing us closer to a turning point in the overdose crisis. At the same time, we must keep pushing forward. Any decrease in fatal overdoses is positive, but we are still losing far too many people – with persistently alarming rates among people of color and in our rural communities – given the knowledge and resources we have at our disposal to save lives. In partnership with the state, we are broadening our efforts to address the overdose crisis and increasing access to opioid settlement funds. We must continue to champion effective, equitable interventions and advocate for new measures to achieve a sustained downward trend in the crisis.
RIZE Massachusetts is an independent nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the overdose crisis. Guided by those with lived experience and unafraid of new ideas, RIZE is building networks, designing programming, and supporting community partners who are using novel approaches to preventing overdose and increasing equitable access to treatment.