Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
MILFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Several towns in Massachusetts have partnered with Riverside Community Care's Connect 2 Recovery program to provide free services and recovery coaches to Bay Staters struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues.
"They're going to provide emotional and social support. They may take them to a meeting, get them set up with things like that, whatever they need to access their recovery," said Alan Meister, C2R program director.
The towns are using opioid abatement money to pay for RCC to provide the coaches. According to Meister, his staff has firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to struggle.
"They have experience with substance use, mental health issues in their own right."
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According to their website, the program hopes to eliminate barriers by providing personalized services that fit each individual's preferred method of recovery.
"We'll help them get connected to what's going to be most helpful for them," said Meister. "For some people, AA might work. For someone else, it might be yoga and meditation. And we can help them get connected to all of these different types of resources."
Those struggling receive a wellness plan as a blueprint for their recovery, consisting of goals to achieve, including forming community connections, receiving an education, improving their physical and emotional health, and finding suitable housing. They also provide support for those dealing with drug court and probation.
"It's about honoring the person and their right to self-determine their course of treatment, Meister said. "Because it's all about the person served."
WBZ NewsRadio’s Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.