Legislators' Breakfast Notes

​Senator Anne Gobi

• budget is really tight; DCF will be seeing increased funding, as well as opioid crisis

Donnie Berthiaune

• governor is committed to 150 more treatment beds
• spoke to a constituent who wants to spearhead an effort to get inpatient beds in the region

Questions:

• is there any funding attached to substance use mandates in schools? Yes, it’s in a conference committee right now. Unsure if it’s just to purchase curriculum or for staffing as well.
• What would it take to put more detox and continuing care beds in western MA? Because of increase in DPH funding, we might be able to advocate for that. Also: where would these beds could be? Need to identify areas where beds might be available. There’s a reuse committee looking at a building in Monson.
• Longer term treatment and residential bed gaps? Average wait 3 weeks/month.
• How can we get state support for a local peer recovery program? Need more information about PLRC
• How do we advocate for insurance companies to cover more recovery things?
• Ed Schreiber: insurance companies cover about a third of recommended treatment for long term recovery.
• Intensive Outpatient Treatment is only covered on some MassHealth plans
• Elderly people with substance use disorder are slipping through the cracks.
• Can we create a subcommittee to write a document with the research supporting treatment?
• Insurance companies threaten to leave when there’s too many state mandates.
• What would be needed and could you support a budget earmark of 75,000-100,000 annually to support the SUTF? Our region is often ineligible for DPH grants.
• DCF funding for childcare? Isn’t aware that funding isn’t available.
• Low income rural areas have too many youth out of school and at risk. Are there plans for addressing at-risk youth? There are some programs for at-risk youth, but may not be available out here. Marlene: we can’t afford a late bus anymore, so kids have to be able to get home. Transportation isn’t included in the budgets for after school programming.
• Are legislators aware of the value of adult education and how the 5 million budget cut will affect us?
• Childcare and education are linked; students at the Adult Learning Center in Ware can’t afford childcare and to come to class.
• What can be done to contain the rising cost of higher education esp at our community colleges? Online learning – online learning is not as affordable as people think it is.
• Ware Business and Civic Association has been working to establish a site in Ware that will offer workforce training and community college courses. Can we get support from the state?

Public transportation help? There are some things happening on Rt 2. Extra funding isn’t coming from the state to do cross-county transportation.