New Opioid Prevention Coalition Receives State Funding

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has awarded the New Bedford Health Department and surrounding towns with a $550,000 grant.

That funding will be used to establish the Opioid Prevention Coalition - South Coast.

The coalition will aim at making policy, systems, and environmental changes that will reduce the use of opioids and decrease the number of deaths and hospitalizations due to opioid misuse.

The New Bedford Health Dept. will collaborate with Dartmouth, Marion, Rochester, and Wareham. The project will leverage existing resources in opioid prevention, including the use of Narcan and educational programs.

Seven Hills behavioral health will also partner with the city as a consultant.