Barnstable County Commissioners Appoint Co-Chairs to Regional Substance Abuse Council
The Barnstable County Commissioners recently appointed three individuals to serve as co-chairs of the Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council. The Commissioners appointed Beth Albert, Director of the Barnstable County Department of Human Services, Cheryl Bartlett, Executive Director of the Office of Community Health at Cape Cod Healthcare, and Ray Tamasi, CEO and President of Gosnold on Cape Cod to co-chair the Regional Council.
Formed in 2014, the Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council brings together a diverse group of over thirty five stakeholders including town representatives, healthcare, elected officials, people in recovery, law enforcement, treatment providers, health centers, employers, town coalitions, faith community, and others. County Commissioner Sheila Lyons, who convenes the Regional Substance Abuse Council, said “Barnstable County realizes the importance of public-private partnerships that support a coordinated effort to leverage resources to plan and implement a regional action plan to address substance use . Over the last 18 months, using a public health planning process, we have been working closely with key stakeholders, towns, and groups across Cape Cod in creating a regional action plan. The combined skills and assets that we bring to bear as a regional partnership will reduce the magnitude and severity of harm related to substance use on Cape Cod.”
In March 2015 the Regional Substance Abuse Council released a Baseline Assessment of the Impact of Substance Use on Cape Cod. A Regional Action Plan was adopted in August 2015 and work is underway to implement that plan. Barnstable County has also received two grants from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to work with towns to address the opioid epidemic and to work with several school districts on substance abuse prevention initiatives. Visit www.bchumanservices.net for more information about the RSAC, a list of RSAC Representatives, and to download a copy of the Baseline Assessment and Regional Action Plan.