HONORABLE MENTIONS On April 27, Heather Murphy, director of clinical operations, was one of three recipients of the 2017-2018 Field Supervisors of the Year Award, which was presented by the Springfield College School of Social Work. Cindy Carley, program director at our Cornerstone Recovery Program for Young Women, was presented with the Outstanding Service award by the Western Massachusetts Addiction Providers Association on June 8. On June 14, Western Mass News interviewed Lianette Rivera, a CSA in-home behavioral services supervisor, about the possibility of students needing counseling after witnessing a student attack a teacher with a screwdriver in Holyoke’s Peck Middle School. On June 20, Hope for Holyoke Director Debra Flynn-Gonzalez was honored at the State House in Boston with the state’s Unsung Heroine Award, an honor that was covered in The Republican, the Holyoke Sun, and the Chicopee Register newspapers, as well as BusinessWest and Healthcare News. She was also interviewed about the synthetic drug “K2” on Western Mass News on August 16 and by the same news team on July 26 about singer Demi Lovato’s overdose. On June 29, Impact Center Director Kristine Rodriguez and recovery coach Amanda Alicea discussed their work on WGBY’s Connecting Point. On July 31, Hampden County Tobacco-Free Community Partnership Director Sara Moriarty talked about the Mass. Department of Health’s dangers of vaping campaign on the WGBY program Connecting Point. On September 6, our Springfield Family Resource Center was given a Governor’s Citation in recognition of the work it has done for families displaced by Hurricane Maria. On September 20, Stairway to Recovery Program Director Efrain Baez spoke about recovery coaching on WBZ-TV 4 in Boston. Clinician Audra Winn was interviewed on Western Mass News on October 18 about the recent National Center for Health Statistics analysis that found the U.S. life expectancy falling for the second year in a row—nudged down again by a surge in fatal opioid overdoses. She also talked about cell phone addiction on Western Mass News on February 13. Gándara Center recovery coach supervisor Daisy Hernandez and our executive director, Henry Julio East-Trou, joined Nellie Maldonado, assistant director for program administration at Tapestry Health, on the BOMBA RADIO Springfield 104.5 FM show Nuestra Raíces on October 24 to discuss our Spanish-speaking community Narcan training sessions in Holyoke and Springfield. Lisa Brecher, Gándara’s marketing and development coordinator, discussed the importance of serving vulnerable populations in a lengthy feature in the May issue of Health Care News. Lisa was also interviewed in an October 29 Better Western Mass segment of Western Mass News about our six Narcan trainings in the community, and on New England Public Radio on August 23 about gambling addiction. On April 6, Gándara Center celebrated the life of Jenn Avery, a dedicated employee of the agency for 19 years until she lost her battle with cancer in April of 2017. Jenn worked for the CSA division providing in-home therapy to children with severe emotional disturbances. In her most recent role, she acted as the CSA’s training and quality assurance director. Gándara Center had relocated its CSA division to a building in Holyoke that the agency had been renovating for nearly two years, a project that Avery was very much a part of and that would have housed her office. The staff felt it was time to officially honor their colleague with a naming ceremony at the new site. The “Jenn Avery Conference and Training Center” provides a central location for much of the agency’s training programs and meetings. Jenn’s husband, Rock 102’s Steve Nagle, accepted a plaque and unveiled a picture that hangs outside of the center. He was joined by their two daughters, eight-year-old Felina and Allie, seven, as well as Jenn’s sister Sonia. Western Mass News’ Lia Auto Group Surprise Squad made a stop at the ceremony to show their support and treat Jenn’s children to a shopping trip.
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