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North Adams Recovery Event Hears Voices of Recovery, Pain
By Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
09:00PM / Saturday, September 24, 2016
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The Voices of Recovery - an annual vigil, walk and rally - is trying to raise awareness of addiction and the resources available to overcome it.

The walk ended at City Hall with a moment of silence and a shout for recovery.

Ruth Jacobson-Hardy, regional manager for the state's Substance Abuse Services, right, spoke of current findings and efforts for more treatment.

Wendy Penner of Northern Berkshire Community Coalition updates attendees.

A wall of remembrance for those who died from substance abuse.

Organizeres hope the wall of recovery will grow for next year.

Andrew McKenna speaks of his addiction and how he overcame it.

Dr. Jennifer Michaels of the Brien Center said medication-related treatment can be a life-saver.

Jeff Deeley of Josh Bressette Commit To Save A Life was emcee.

Amalio Jusino gave an emotional reading of what EMTs responding to an overdose.



Rebecca Dodge, founder of the Have Hope Initiative, speaks about the struggles of addiction.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The goal of the annual recovery vigil has been to shine a light on a scourge that's affected families and communities across the nation: Addiction.

"I have kept my demons at bay for 13 years and six months," said Rebecca Dodge, recalling her fall into drug abuse in the early 2000s. But many of her friends haven't been as successful, she told the gathering Noel Field Athletic Complex for the Voices of Recovery event on Saturday afternoon.

Her friend, Hope Benoit, succumbed several years ago leading her to found the Have Hope Initiative. But just recently she'd lost another friend to addiction, she said, holding back tears.

"In 13 years, too many people have lost their battle. I stand before you today to be their voice," Dodge said. "We have all been a victim of this disease ..  I want you to know recovery is possible. I don't want to go to another funeral."

Giving voice to what has been for many a shameful, destructive secret has been part of the effort to raise awareness of a disease that can be treated and to create a supportive environment for those struggling with addiction.

Dr. Jennifer Michaels, medical director of the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, pointed to the two walls set up under the tent next to her. One was a memorial for those lost to addiction through overdose; the other, images of those who had found strength in treatment.   

"I know that wall is a lot bigger because every day I go to work I get to see these people in recovery," she said. "But they're not on the wall" because of stigma and shame.

Michaels said they're yoga instructors, new moms, construction workers, teachers and nurses.

"It's hundreds of people who are members of our community, your neighbors, your family members, who may be here right now but because of stigma you're not on that wall."

Theere are treatments that work — from 12-step programs to medication-assisted regimens.

"It doesn't mean substituting one drug for another," the doctor said. "These medications really work and we are stigmatizing very vulnerable people because we are not supporting them."

Saturday's event, which started as a vigil of remembrance four years ago, has come to focus more on recovery and the role of the community. Tents were set up by various resource groups, there was face painting and children running about, fundraising for organizations, health checks and food trucks.

More than 200 people of all ages, most wearing Voices of Recovery T-shirts, marched from the field and over the Hadley Overpass to gather on the lawn of City Hall to cheer for recovery.

Other speakers included Andrew McKenna, who detailed his decline from U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor to addict and bank robber, fueled by a chronic back pain that led him to prescription drugs and a lack of self-worth. "Heroin doesn't read resumes," he said, as an example of how anyone could become addicted.

McKenna is now involved in a for-profit chain of residential centers, Addiction Campuses, including one opening at the former 600-acre Swift River Academy in Cummington this fall. He said his company gets more than 7,000 calls a month seeking beds. He hopes to be a resource for the region because even if his centers don't have beds, he has contacts nationwide to find them, and donated sales proceeds of his book, "Sheer Madness."

Amalio Jusino of North Adams Ambulance Service spoke of what emergency medical technicians have to deal with when they respond to overdoses: the frantic family, the dying patient, and the emotional impact.

Data gathered from a range of agencies in a new "ground-breaking report" is bringing some numbers to light, said Ruth Jacobson-Hardy, regional manager for the state's Substance Abuse Services in Western Massachusetts.

Over the past 15 years, opiate-base overdose deaths have climbed 350 percent; the chance of overdose is cut in half for those who get into medication-related treatment. Young people ages 18 to 34 are at the highest risk for overdose and men are three times as likely to overdose. Women are more likely to overdose through the use of prescription drugs.

People being released from incarceration are also highly likely to overdose within a short period, said Jacobson-Hardy. "That first month of release from prison is a very dangerous time, a crucial time."

"This is very helpful to be able to target what we need to do in fighting this fight," she said, which includes increased residential and outpatient services, and quicker referrals to prevent people from falling through the cracks. Some 124 new beds for residential treatment have opened up on Western Mass, all outside of the Berkshires. The county is approved for a women's residential program but there's no funding yet.

"We don't have the money yet to fund it so whatever you can do to advocate for that program," Jacobson-Hardy said. "It's ready to go."

One bright spot is that MassHealth Medicaid will begin to fund up to 90 days of residential treatment, perhaps as soon as next January, with 50 percent of the cost being returned to the state for investment in more beds.


Dorothy Martell lost her son Daniel to an overdose in 2012.

"Recovery is completely possible, recovery is inspirational, recovery is hope, recovery is courage, and recovery is community," she said.

More time is needed for rehabilitation from addiction, said Dorothy Martell, telling the story of her son, Daniel Martell, who died in 2012 from an overdose, leaving behind a new wife and an unborn son.

"My son Daniel was a beautiful vibrant young man — and he was a tortured soul," she said.

He was able to get into a treatment program but the insurance ran out after five days.

"He just didn't possess the tools he needed to deal with life anymore," Martell said. "And those five days did not equip him to fight his battle. ... I do know that he loved his family, that he loved his life.

"But heroin doesn't care."

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