January 10, 2025: Issue 1
Offering hope and help to those impacted by opioid misuse in
Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region.
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Sheriff Donelan to Retire After 14 Years
Greenfield Recorder 1/7/25
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There’s about to be a new sheriff in town.
Christopher J. Donelan has announced he will retire at the end of the month, ending a 14-year tenure that saw the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction transform from a typical facility focused on incarceration to one with a trauma-informed treatment model.
“I think we’ve transformed the way people look at and approach corrections generally,” he said on Monday, noting that he also has fostered a relationship between the sheriff ’s office and local law enforcement that didn’t exist before he took the reins. “Now, here we are 14 years later, the police and our deputies are all working side by side routinely, in a collaborative partnership that both sides really appreciate. And I think all the citizens of Franklin County benefit from that kind of collaboration. So I’m very proud of that, too.”
Donelan, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, cited his recent landmark birthday and 37 years of public service as signs that it is time to step down. He explained that Gov. Maura Healey will appoint an interim replacement to serve until the 2026 election. Then, whoever wins that contest will serve for two years and can determine if they wish to run again in 2028, which will begin a new six-year term. Donelan was last elected in 2022.
“It’s the best job I ever could have had. My father told me one time many years ago, the best job in government is being sheriff, and he was absolutely right,” he said in his office on Monday. “It’s just time. I’m healthy, I have beautiful grandchildren and a beautiful wife. Who could ask for anything more?”
Donelan said he has no major plans for retirement, though he intends to spend more time at his house on Cape Cod, where he would like to volunteer at a homeless shelter.
“He’s a caring human being that wants to see people get back on their feet,” said John Merrigan, the Franklin County register of probate. “He’s just a good person.”
Merrigan said their fathers were prominent Democratic community leaders in a time when the county was predominantly Republican. Merrigan and Donelan nearly ran against each other for the Democratic nomination for the state House of Representatives seat representing the 2nd Franklin District in 1995, until they met up for lunch and came to an understanding. It was agreed that Merrigan would run for office and, when he won, Donelan became his first legislative aide.
“And we’ve been like brothers since,” Merrigan remarked. He stepped aside in 2002, at which point Donelan ran and won.
“We have never argued about any initiative or priority that has been important to Franklin County,” Merrigan said. “He’s brought in millions of dollars in grants for the jail. He’s been a leader with the [Opioid Task Force]. He tried to figure out a way to treat people differently that are in the correctional facility.”
Donelan, who lives in Greenfield, entered the state Legislature committed to leaving politics once he felt he had done his part. When he was ready to transition from the House of Representatives, he decided to throw his hat in the ring for sheriff after learning Frederick Macdonald planned to retire.
Donelan is credited with making dramatic changes at the sheriff’s office. In 2016, guided by Medical Director Dr. Ruth Potee, the house of correction on Elm Street became the first correctional facility in Massachusetts to introduce medically assisted addiction treatment with suboxone. Franklin County took the next step in 2018, with the correctional facility becoming licensed as a methadone clinic. This led to all county facilities in the state providing medically assisted treatments and a growing number of correctional facilities across the country following suit.
Donelan said he will most miss the people he works with and the feeling of improving people’s lives. “That’s probably been the best part of the job,” he said.
Donelan graduated from Westfield State College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1987 and was hired as a police officer in Orange. He completed his police training at the Western Massachusetts Police Academy, which was located in Agawam at the time, and went on to work in Orange until 1991, when budget cuts forced layoffs throughout the town, including the police. He was appointed to the South Hadley Police Department a few months later and served that community until 1995.
He was next a probation officer in both Orange District Court and the Franklin County Community Corrections Center until running for state representative in 2002. He served on several committees, including Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Housing, Higher Education, and Ways and Means during that time. He also was vice chair of the Public Safety Committee and secured funding for the completion of major Greenfield Community College renovations that had been cut from the bond bill at the time.
Donelan led the work to require state colleges and universities to accept college credit transfers, so students do not have to pay to take the same courses twice. The transferring of credits was not a common practice at the time. Donelan also filed the bill that enacted the first sales tax holiday in Massachusetts in 2006 after he talked with a business owner in Athol.
STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
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"Warming Center Opens Amid Low Temperatures"
Greenfield Recorder (12/24/24)
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Amid frigid temperatures, the city activated its Overnight Warming Center at The Salvation Army for the second consecutive weekend, with volunteers overseeing a warm refuge for those without shelter. The volunteer-run Overnight Warming Center is open between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The Salvation Army-funded space on Chapman Street provides towels for showers, blankets, snacks and activities for those who come in, excluding sleeping accommodations like beds or cots.
Lt. Paul Leslie, who oversees operations at The Salvation Army’s Greenfield location, explained the city of Greenfield opts to open the Overnight Warming Center, in conjunction with the Medical Reserve Corps of Massachusetts, when overnight temperatures fall below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. As of 7 p.m. Saturday night, the temperature was 17 degrees, with the low hitting 6 degrees by 5 a.m. Sunday morning. When the Overnight Warming Center opened on Sunday night at 7 p.m., the temperature was 7 degrees, with the early-morning hours of Monday dipping into the negatives. The lowest temperature of -2.9 degrees was recorded just before
7 a.m., according to National Weather Service data.
For those without proper winter apparel or shelter, health risks like frostbite are a concern, especially when wind and below-freezing temperatures are predicted.
Leslie said the warming centers have been offered in years past. Planning for the multi-faceted operation gets started in the summer.
“The agreement that was put together was [between] the Salvation Army of Greenfield, the city of Greenfield and the Medical Reserve Corps in order to provide the additional staffing that’s needed for multi-day, overnight shelters,” Leslie explained. “Then the Opioid Task Force [of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region] was able to send it out to the number of agencies that they coordinate with to be able to get the additional staffing as well.”
Christy Lemoine, volunteer coordinator with the Medical Reserve Corps unit serving Franklin and Berkshire counties, was on duty for the Saturday and Sunday night warming center shifts. She explained the shifts are broken up into three, four-hour segments, with two staff members on at all times to cover the 12 hours the Overnight Warming Center is open. She said since the center opened last weekend, a few people have been using the space at a time. Saturday night saw two people stay, and by 8 p.m. on Sunday, four people were in the warming center.
The Overnight Warming Center, although not a homeless shelter due to building codes, offers some overflow capacity for the shelters that are full while helping ensure homeless community members aren’t outside during the coldest nights of the year, Lemoine explained. “It’s really just here for anyone,” Lemoine said. “If there’s no room left [at the shelter on Wells Street], it’s a place that you can come in, get warm. If you want to put your head down on the table, take a nap, that’s fine.”
...With the Overnight Warming Center still being in its early stages of operation this winter, Lemoine said there are only a handful of people staying at a time, but that word-of-mouth helps more people learn the resource is available.
“It just shows what great people we have in this community. They want to be involved, so it just feels wonderful,” Desorgher said of the volunteers stepping up to help.
For updates on when the Warming Center is open, visit the Greenfield city website at
greenfield-ma.gov, and its Facebook page.
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"Hospital Starts Addiction Consult Service"
Greenfield Recorder (12/27/24)
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With the support of a five-year, $7 million grant, three of Baystate Health’s hospitals are launching a substance use disorder treatment program, which will be based at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.
The $7 million grant, awarded by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, will allow Baystate Health to launch an in-patient addiction consult service to expand the region’s resources. While based in Greenfield, the program will also expand to Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield and Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer.
The grant was secured by Dr. Bill Soares and former Baystate Franklin Chief Nursing Officer Deb Provost, who both will provide programmatic and administrative support in the service’s early stage. Dr. Adam Chamberlain, who serves as the medical director of the community addiction consult service, said this sort of in-patient service designed solely to treat substance- use disorders is a novel prospect for community hospitals like Baystate Franklin.
“That’s not the norm. They’re becoming more common in big medical centers, but in terms of community hospitals, this is something that I’m not aware of that there’s many other examples,” Chamberlain said in a Zoom interview. “This is something special.” Chamberlain said the program will operate much like how other specialized care operates. The addiction consult team will assess patient needs, discuss treatment options with patients and make recommendations to the primary care team, as well as help patients connect with outpatient treatment and harm-reduction services.
“For patients that are coming either into the emergency department or the general medical floors, you get a consult the same way that if you come into the hospital with a heart problem and you get a cardiology consult,” he explained. “It’s the same basic idea, and we help support the providers and staff for those specific questions about treating substance-use disorders.”
The implementation of the program, Chamberlain said, does two things: it provides better care for those in the community struggling with substance use disorders and increases Baystate’s capacity for
care all around.
The addiction consult service in Greenfield also runs parallel to the existing addiction consult service at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, which will allow for collaboration between the two teams.
“The medical management of substance use disorder, at least for opioid use disorders, is something that is fast-moving. There’s lot of changes because there’s lots of changes to the drug supply, so we need to be very up to date,” Chamberlain said, emphasizing that more resources will allow the hospital to further address the “social piece” of medical care.
“ A community hospital, overall, just does not have huge amounts of resources. Treating people with substance use disorders requires a lot of time and resources,” he added. “Having that time to actively listen and to put more focus [on people] is something we will be able to provide.”
The program launched at Baystate Franklin in mid-November and Baystate Health is in the process of hiring two advanced nurse practitioners to expand the addiction consult service to Westfield and Palmer.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
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UPCOMING OTF COMMITTEE & WORKGROUP MEETINGS | |
Virtual: Joint Treatment & Recovery and Healthcare Solutions Committee Meeting
January 10, 2025
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Emergency Services for Unhoused Individuals Task Force
January 13, 2025
9:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Zoom details here.
Hybrid: Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Workgroup
January 13, 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Franklin County Reentry Center
106 Main Street, Greenfield
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Education & Prevention Committee
January 14, 2025
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Zoom details here.
Hybrid: Public Safety & Justice Committee
February 3, 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Franklin County Reentry Center
106 Main Street, Greenfield
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Harm Reduction Workgroup
February 5, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Zoom details here.
Virtual: CAM Workgroup
February 11, 2025
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Methadone Workgroup
February 13, 2025
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Zoom details here.
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Virtual: Housing & Workforce Development Committee
February 14, 2025
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Zoom details here.
Virtual: Building a Resilient Community Workgroup
February 19, 2025
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Zoom details here.
Consult our website or Facebook Page for updates. Please email us with any questions!
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FEATURED EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
Click here for Post-Opioid Overdose Outreach Services | |
Wound Care Clinic with Amy Pierno
Every 2nd Friday of the Month
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Time Sensitive Announcements | |
January 10 FunHub Action Park Fundraiser to benefit
Community Network for Children
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January 10 Game Night at Sunderland Public Library | |
January 10 - February 28 Beyond Trauma: A Healing Journey | |
January 11 Greenfield Farmers' Market Winter Market | |
January 11 Stone Soup Cafe | |
January 11 Indoor Plant Swap | |
January 13 Greenfield Healing Clinic | |
January 13 New Year, New Visions - Free Teen and Tween
Vision Board Workshop
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January 14 Multifamily DBT Skills - 12 Week Program | |
January 14 Old Time Radio with Brian Casey | |
January 14 & 21 January Crafts with NQRC | |
January 15 Free COVID and Flu Vaccine Clinic | |
January 15, 22, & 29 History Kids Program | |
January 16 & 23 Storytimes With Mya and Winston | |
January 16 & 23 Practical Magic | |
January 16 & 30 ASL: Learn to Sign with Young Children | |
January 18 Nourish Your Nerves: an Herbal Workshop | |
January 19 Bigfoot & UFOs with Ronny LeBlanc | |
January 25 Manifestation Jars | |
January 26 Book Club at Erving Public Library | |
January 27 Intro To Sensory Processing | |
January 28 All-Abilities Social - Build a Bird Feeder | |
January 28 - February 25 Grandparents Raising Teens | |
January 30, February 6 & February 13 Touchpoints Training | |
January 31 Parade of Lights!! | |
January 31 - February 2 Polar Playground | |
February 1 Winter Sowing Native Plants | |
February 4 - April 23 Nurturing Fathers | |
February 15 Arc-A-Palooza | |
February 21 Loving Your Recovery Event | |
February 25 Opioid Settlement Community Forum | |
February 27 - May 22 Parenting Journey | |
Save The Dates: April 16 & 17, 2025
Together For Hope: Shaping the Future of Addiction Care
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MONTHLY WORKSHOP CALENDRS AND WEEKLY STANDING MEETINGS/EVENTS | |
January at Community Action Family Center | |
January Events at the Erving Senior Center | |
January Programs at Franklin County Reentry Center | |
January Programs - Great Falls Discovery Center | |
January Greenfield Public Library Children's Programs | |
January Montague Public Library Programs | |
January at The RECOVER Project | |
January at Salasin Project | |
January Union 28 Community Network for Children Program Calendar | |
SNAP Application Assistance | |
Always Open! Community Labyrinth in Greenfield | |
What's Happening at The NQRC | |
Weekdays All Recovery Meeting at The RECOVER Project | |
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
The Community Closet at The Franklin County Reentry Center
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Monday - Friday
Movement Group with North Quabbin Recovery Center Peer Leaders
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Mondays Breathwork Detox-Guided Group Adventure | |
Mondays North Quabbin Patch Parents' Council | |
Mondays Breaking Barriers at the Franklin County Reentry Center | |
Mondays Art Guild Meetings | |
Mondays Advanced Manufacturing Info Sessions | |
Monday Drug Court Alumni Group - North Quabbin | |
Mondays Community Yoga at Wildflower Alliance | |
Mondays at FCSO Reentry Center - Recovery Through Creativity | |
Mondays CNC Playgroup at the Erving Public Library | |
Second Mondays of the Month - North Quabbin B.R.A.V.E. Task Force Meetings | |
Mondays Alternatives to Suicide Group | |
2nd and 4th Mondays Parenting Together at the Brick House | |
Third Monday Alphabet & Allies | |
Third Monday Parenting With Pride | |
Mondays and Thursdays Hygiene Supplies Pick Up at the Brick House | |
Mondays and Thursdays The Brick House Food Pantry | |
Tuesdays All Recovery Meeting and Drop In Recovery Coach Support | |
Tuesdays Nurturing Program for Families in Recovery | |
Tuesdays Peer-Led Grief and Loss Circle | |
Every Other Tuesday - Housing Support Drop In Hours | |
First Tuesday - Dads' Group at Valuing Our Children | |
Tuesday Tea Time & Community Resource Drop-In | |
Tuesdays North Quabbin Recovery Center Coffee Hour | |
Tuesdays Greenfield Suicide Loss Group | |
First Tuesday - P.A.R.T. Task Force | |
Tuesdays Drop-In Knitting & Sewing Sessions | |
Tuesday & Thursdays Weekly Reentry Groups | |
Tuesday Men's Anger Management Group
Wednesday Women's Anger Management Group
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Wednesdays - Wendell Library Playgroup with Sylvia | |
Wednesdays - Playgroup at the Leverett Library with Gillian | |
Wednesdays HEROES Study Hub at GCC | |
Wednesdays Health Connector & Mass Health Navigator Drop In Hours | |
First Wednesday of the month Gentle Yoga and Breathwork with Jennifer | |
First Wednesday of the month Money Wise | |
Second Wednesday of the month Whatever Wednesday's | |
Third Wednesdays of Every Month Fatherhood Meetup | |
Last Wednesdays of Every Month Office Hours With An Attorney | |
Thursdays January - March Bilingual Music & Movement | |
First & Third Thursdays Parent Support Group | |
Thursdays Mens Group in the RPX | |
Thursdays Coffee Hour at the Brick House | |
Thursdays Beyond Trauma Group in Spanish | |
Thursdays Windows and Mirrors Playgroup | |
Second Thursdays -Peer Grief Support After Overdose Death | |
Fridays FreeWrite of Franklin County | |
First Friday of Every Month: Open Mic at the RP | |
Every Friday - The Garden Path | |
MassHealth Navigation Support
First Friday of the month 9am-12pm and Third Friday of the month 1pm - 3pm
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Every First & Third Friday Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group | |
Every Second Friday Chosen Family Night | |
Every Third Friday: Karaoke at The RECOVER Project | |
Free Hypnosis Sessions With Certified Hypnotist Jenn Avery | |
Open Position: Probation Case Specialist - Greenfield District Court
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Open Positions at the RECOVER Project | |
Re-entry Workforce Program | |
Homeshare Program with LifePath | |
Pathways to Advanced Manufacturing | |
Specialized HVAC Training | |
Specialized Information Technology Training | |
Support & Resources After the HEALing Communities Study
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SafeSpot Virtual Overdose Spotting Hotline | |
CHCFC OBAT Same Day & Tele-Health Appointment Information | |
Free Meals and Essentials at Saints James and Andrews Parish Hall | |
Come Cook with Franklin County Community Meals Program | |
Family Self-Sufficiency Program Available | |
Eviction Self-Help Booklets Available in Multiple Languages | |
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MLRI has recently updated and translated some of our self-help booklets for unrepresented tenants facing eviction. While we still recommend tenants facing eviction seek legal help, we know resources are limited and many tenants have to represent themselves. We hope these booklets can be helpful to pro se tenants and their advocates.
You can see the full list of booklets below, or at MassLegalHelp. The booklets can help tenants prepare for court, outline their legal claims, and file court forms. There is also a booklet to help public housing tenants navigate the Grievance process.
Please reach out if you have any questions about the booklets and how they can be used.
What steps to take before going to court and what to bring to court.
An easy-to-use checklist that tells you what conditions violate the State Sanitary Code. You can also use the free self-help guided interview, MADE: Up To Code.
The Answer is a court form that tenants facing evictions can file with the court to outline your legal claims and tell the court your side of the story. You can also use Greater Boston Legal Services’ free self-help guided interview, MADE.
How to ask the court to accept your Answer and Discovery forms late. You can also use Greater Boston Legal Services’ free self-help guided interview, MADE.
A form with instructions for tenants facing eviction to get information to prepare for their trial.
A form with instructions for tenants in foreclosed properties to get information to prepare their case.
A form you can file to transfer your eviction case from a District Court to a Housing Court.
How to get a new court date if you missed your court date.
If you lost your eviction trial and think you have a good case, you may appeal. This document tells you which Appeal form to use.
How to file an appeal from a case in Housing Court.
How to file an appeal from a case in District Court.
How to get time to stay in your home if you lost your case.
How to ask the court to pay for court costs.
How to think through the terms you want in an agreement. Includes a worksheet and stipulation forms to use when you go to court. Read this booklet as webpages and watch the videos!
How to correct errors on your online court records. The Booklet includes the court form you can save to your computer, fill out, save again and print when ready.
A booklet for tenants in Mass. about the grievance process, including worksheets to help you prepare for a grievance hearing.
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Update! Greenfield CSC New Hybrid Operations Change |
Beginning Tuesday, 9.3.24, the Greenfield Court Service Center (CSC)services will be in-person and remote: Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-1pm; 2pm-4:30 pm, and Fridays, 8:30-1pm.
For ANY/ALL REMOTE REQUESTS, please contact the Virtual Court Service Center, M-F 9am -2pm, if you do not have an emergency. You can reach them for an intake, Monday-Friday, 9am to 2pm, by Zoom video or telephone as outlined below:
https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1615261140 or Dial (646) 828-7666. Enter the Meeting ID number 1615261140 and then press # #.
If you have an emergency, and still need remote services, have the court department reach out directly to Greenfield CSC office by email for assistance at greenfieldcsc@jud.state.ma.us.
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COMMUNITY JOB OPPORTUNITIES | |
Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region www.opioidtaskforce.org | |
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