Massachusetts for Overdose Prevention Centers coalition today released the following statement in response:
“This is a victory for Vermonters, and a signal that Massachusetts can and should be the next state to embrace overdose prevention centers as an evidence-based medical and public health intervention. We know that these facilities save lives and connect people to treatment and services. As the end of the Massachusetts legislative session nears, now is the time to do all we can to continue to bend the curve of overdose deaths in our state.”
Background:
Legislation currently pending before Massachusetts lawmakers (H.1981, S.1242) would give municipalities looking for new harm reduction tools the authority to establish overdose prevention centers (OPCs). The bills — sponsored by Representatives Marjorie Decker, Dylan Fernandes, and Senator Julian Cyr — are backed by Massachusetts for Overdose Prevention Centers (MA4OPC), a statewide coalition of more than 30 organizations committed to establishing overdose prevention centers in Massachusetts.
There is continued support for OPCs in Massachusetts: The Healey administration has recognized OPCs as an effective tool to save lives, releasing a Massachusetts Department of Public Health feasibility report that recommends legislative action to codify legal and professional liability protections so that these facilities may become a reality in the Commonwealth. The American Medical Association recently recommended OPCs as a meaningful way to help end the overdose epidemic. In April, three labor unions representing more than 100,000 Massachusetts workers, including health care workers, human service workers and educators, and interns and resident physicians across the Commonwealth, announced their support for OPCs. And, according to a recent Beacon Research poll released by MA4OPC, 70 percent of Massachusetts voters support passing state legislation to allow cities and towns to establish overdose prevention centers.
For more information about the MA4OPC Coalition, visit https://ma4opc.org
