FRANKLIN, MA – On Oct. 27, Senator Ed Markey stopped by SAFE Coalition to discuss the state of substance use and mental health crises in the area and the organization’s response strategy. State Representative Jeffrey Roy, a founding SAFE board member, also attended.
Markey explored with the SAFE board and staff members the role public perception plays in access to substance misuse and mental health support. “The link between addiction and mental health must be destigmatized before people can get help,” Markey said. “No one can will their way out of it.”
The conversation highlighted SAFE’s initiatives, including regular Narcan trainings at Dedham Jail, early intervention educational small groups for area children, and support groups for families of those suffering from substance use. SAFE’s approach to community-wide, wraparound care was notable for Senator Markey. “I understand the mission,” Markey said. “Because if one person suffers, everyone suffers.”
The nonprofit’s CEO Jen Levine says SAFE helps many people who arrive at the office on one of the hardest days of their lives. “We are also here for them long before then, in small and straightforward ways, so that if their worst day ever arrives, they know where they can turn,” she says. Many are first introduced to SAFE through services like the organization’s free diaper and car seat bank or community events like medication takeback and CPR trainings.
Markey has championed substance use intervention at the state and national levels throughout his political career. His first encounter with SAFE was at the 2015 National Prescription Drug and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, which he attended with President Obama.
SAFE Coalition, a nonprofit founded to combat the rising threat of opioid addiction and overdose in southeastern Massachusetts, now supports over 37 towns across the state with recovery and support groups, referral services, one-on-one nonclinical recovery support, resource connection, community trainings, educational programming for adolescents and schools, events like film screenings and talks, sober art and music nights, and trauma-informed yoga. SAFE also voluntarily advises opioid abatement funding boards in municipalities across the state.
Those interested in SAFE’s services or wanting to collaborate with the organization can contact SAFE at (508) 488-8105 or info@safecoalitionma.org
