Building Resilience:
The road to recovery begins with us! 

On Tuesday, May 8th, Caring Health Center in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration will host Building Resilience: The Road to Recovery Begins with Us – a forum to address high rates of opioid abuse in Springfield and the communities’ ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

Opioid abuse is creating one of the largest public health crises in the nation’s history impacting every community. And while addiction knows no boundaries, unequal access to treatment creates severe disparities in disease outcomes among vulnerable groups, who struggle to obtain basic health care.

CHC convened stakeholders including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) representatives, Caring Health officials and community leaders to address those disparities and to discuss a vast array of resources to combat this public health emergency.

Guest will enjoy a tour of the facility and lunch, followed by a moderated panel to discuss major challenges to recovery from addiction, innovative treatment options, and ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic at the state and local level.

Panelists include Christopher Bersani, Deputy Regional Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration; Cristina Huebner Torres, M.A., Research, Population Health and Public Health Programs Vice President, Nircia Del Rosario-Melendez, LCSW, Clinician and Debbie Strauss, R.N., Medication Assisted Treatment Nurse Care Manager,Caring Health Center; Peter D. Friedmann, MD, MPH, DFASAM, FACP, Chief Research Officer and Endowed Chair for Clinical Research, Baystate Health; and Brian G. Beliveau, Sergeant in Springfield.