GREENFIELD — Navigating the network of addiction treatment options locally can be tough, but the regional Opioid Task Force is creating a new position to make it easier.
The Task Force is looking to hire a new full-time community resource coordinator to become a one-stop resource for people seeking treatment options, help coordinate events and meetings, and carry out other high-level administrative tasks, according to Paul McNeil, the Task Force’s director.
The coordinator will work to implement the Sequential Intercept Mapping practices in Franklin County, which are used to identify where the gaps are in the treatment network and work to find ways to bridge them. To that end, the coordinator will produce a report each year detailing the progress that’s been made toward that goal, said John Merrigan, the Franklin County Register of Probate, another task force leader.
“They will be integral in our committed collaborative effort to address early interception and prevention for those at-risk of entering crisis services and the criminal justice system,” Merrigan said.
According to Christopher Donelan, Franklin County sheriff and founding co-chairman of the Opioid Task Force, the position calls for an individual who can build relationships with local health and human service providers, community partners, schools and policy makers.
“They will need very strong communication skills in order to engage and collaborate with a wide variety of audiences and partners, closing crucial gaps in services — what an individual will need in a moment of crisis and how quickly they can receive support in meeting that need,” Donelan said in a press release. “We need to make connections as a community of agencies that care, by breaking down the silos that make seeking help that much more difficult, and to do this, we must ensure we have a broad and diverse pool of applicants for consideration. The longer we go without making these connections, the longer it will take us to slow down the impact of this devastating opioid epidemic in our hometowns.”
Resumes and applications can be submitted to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office by e-mail by Sept. 12. Send them to: carrie.task@fcs.state.ma.us
You can reach Tom Relihan at: 413-772-0261, ext 264
or: trelihan@recorder.com
On Twitter:@RecorderTom