THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 11, 2019 Page 3 ~ Guest Commentary ~ Malden Overcoming Addiction: Our members and mission M alden Overcoming Addiction (MOA) is a 501c3 nonprofi t. Our mission is “to connect the community with addiction support and recovery services, remove the stigma of addiction, and fi ght to eliminate overdose fatalities in Malden and surrounding communities.” Since registering with the State of Massachusetts on November 14, 2016, we have built a community of approximately 100 members who are active in supporting our mission. MOA is completely board run, and is not in any way affi liated with the City of Malden or any other public or private entity. Our Board of Directors for 2019 consists of: Paul Hammersley – President Daniel Ko – Vice President/Director Domenic DiSario – Treasurer Justin Gottlieb – Secretary Dana Brown – Board Member Dawn Zanazzo – Board Member MOA is funded exclusively through donations of time and money. With the help of grants from The Cummings Foundation, The Bayrd Foundation, Malden's Junior Aid Association, Rize Massachusetts, and the Picolo Foundation, as well as contributions large and small, we have built this organization from the ground up. One of our proudest accomplishments is the establishment of our Transitional Living Scholarship Program, which is open to Malden residents working to maintain their recovery. This program has allowed us to place 34 people into sober living over the course of 2 years. As of September 17, 2019, 15 of those people remain substance-free to this day, a 44% success rate. Of the 19 people who relapsed, 10 have gone back into recovery since this data was collected. We know that recovery is an ongoing process. With our current data showing an almost doubled rate of sustained recovery, we are so motivated to continue expanding our outreach. Part of why we feel we have been successful thus far is due to our work in bridging the gap from treatment to the “real world.” This approach is a critical factor in the substance use recovery continuum of care. As a result, our organization has focused much of its efforts and funding towards addressing this urgent need. At MOA, we have worked diligently over the last four years. We want to stop the stigma everywhere, a vital part of our mission, which is why we have: • A Recovery Coach Academy, in partnership with CCAR, that has graduated 82 Recovery Coaches who mentor newly recovered people and participate in the Malden Recovery Court Program. • A Malden Access Television show discussing addiction and recovery, including things like Narcan training and family support resources. • Stop the Stigma Day, an educational day that has reached over 7500 Malden students to educate them about addiction, stigma, and recovery. Stop the Stigma Day also includes a social media component that has helped us spread our mission to over half a million people across the globe. • Hidden in Plain Sight, an educational event that helps parents spot the signs of at-risk behavior using an interactive display of a teenager’s bedroom. • Malden Overcomes Day, a funfilled day with informational resources about addiction that focuses on community building and family-friendly activities. • Informational fi lm screenings to build insight, education, and awareness about addiction and recovery in the community. • MOA’s Memorial Candlelight Vigil, an annual event where community members gather at Malden High School to remember those we have lost, and allow families who have lost loved ones to share their stories and pain, as well as treasure the memories of our loved ones. • Fundraising events to support our scholarship and recovery coach programs, such as The Together We Can Comedy Night and MOA Rocks Addiction. • Celebrate Sober, Our free New Years Eve Party, which allows those looking to ring in the New Year substance-free, a safe and supportive place to celebrate. While recent news about a possible recovery center in Malden has raised voices of concern, it has also raised voices of hope for those touched by addiction. Malden Overcoming Addiction has been working hard at bridging the gaps in addiction treatment. Our organization has been looking to bring a state funded, evidence-based peer to peer recovery center to Malden with the intention of helping to further support our friends and neighbors as they navigate their life in recovery. This initiative is still in the talking stages and community input will be part of the process if this moves forward. The center would be only for those folks already in recovery from their addiction. The center would not off er any medication or clinical treatment, just resources, education, support and guidance to help folks maintain their recovery. We understand the hesitation we may be met with. However, it is the mission of our organization to stand strong and continue to help those who are struggling and to help build a stronger community. We must work to fi ght this battle together. If we are still losing Malden residents to this disease, then we clearly need to do more to help. MATV announces upcoming political forum and debate T he School Committee Candidates Forum will be held on Thursday, October 17 from 6-8 p.m. at the First Parish Church (2 Elm St.). A light complimentary dinner will be provided. The event hosts: Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition, Asian Community Development Corporation, APIs CAN!, Massachusetts Senior Action Council, the Chinese Progressive Association, the Chinese Culture Connection and MATV. Mandarin to English translation will be provided. The second Mayoral Debate between incumbent Mayor Gary Christenson and Ward 3 Councillor John Matheson will be held on Thursday, October 24 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at The John & Christina Markey Senior Community Center (7 Washington St.). The debate will be hosted by MATV freelance staffer Sharon Fillyaw; voters will be able to send in questions to both local newsOn Tuesday, November 5th Vote JOHN H. FROIO MALDEN SCHOOL COMMITTEE WARD 8 “KEEP PROGRESS MOVING” (Political Advertisement) papers beforehand and during the night of the debate. Questions will be screened and summarized. (More info at a later date.) Residents are invited to attend any of the above events in person. The Mayoral Debate will be carried live on MATV’s Government Access Channel and Educational Access Channel (Comcast channels 15 & 22, Verizon channels 24 & 26). The events will also be livestreamed on our City Stream (matv.org) and on YouTube Live (maldenaccesssmatv). In addition, residents will have a chance to “meet” the candidates through short videos recorded at the MATV studio. All the candidates running in the local election have been off ered the opportunity to record these “spots” to highlight their qualifi cations, background and ideas. Once recorded, these videos will be shown on the cable channels, social media and the MATV website. * A Delta Dental Premier Provider Dr. Mario Abdennour, Dr. Bhavisha Patel, Dr. Priti Amlani, Dr. Bruce Goldman and team.
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