Topic Meetings

On November 12^th, Middlesex  Sheriff Peter Koutoujian spoke to an audience of 40+, at the Angier School.  Those attending were from Acton, Arlington, Newton, Weston, and Winchester Massachusetts.  Though the Sheriff spoke about multiple programs, the descriptions of which can be found on the  Middlesex Sheriff Office – Programming  website.  However there are two highlighted below:

Landmark Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) pilot program  “Arresting and incarcerating our way out of addiction is not – and has never been – an option,” said Middlesex Sheriff, and Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association President, Peter J. Koutoujian, who worked with legislators last year to craft the language for the pilot.   “Massachusetts sheriffs have been at the forefront of this crisis, implementing innovative and evidence-based initiatives aimed at improving the health outcomes of justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder.  This pilot is the thoughtful, comprehensive next step and one that is being watched by colleagues not just here in the Commonwealth, but across the country.”  As part of the pilot, individuals entering facilities in the seven counties on any of the three FDA-approved MAT regimens (buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone) will have the ability to continue their treatment regimen while incarcerated, unless determined otherwise by a qualified addiction specialist.  Sentenced inmates not on a verified MAT regimen at the time of their commitment may also be evaluated for participation 30 days prior to their scheduled release.

The Housing Unit for Military Veterans – or HUMV  – opened in January 2016 and is the first correctional unit in Massachusetts specifically designed for individuals who have served in the military.  The unit is open to both sentenced inmates and pretrial detainees, who have served at home or abroad.  HUMV was conceived and designed as a collaborative effort of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office together with incarcerated Veterans with a goal of treating and preparing them for successful reentry. HUMV’s barracks-style layout, combined with wellness and treatment programs, as well as guest speakers allow Veterans to call on their camaraderie and their shared military experiences to address the challenges which have led to their incarceration. HUMV is similar to a modified therapeutic community, where a typical day includes lectures and cognitive behavioral therapy groups, among other programs.  Participants also have regular meetings with state and federal Veterans affairs representatives, substance abuse treatment, vocational and employment readiness training. HUMV staff work with offenders to create individualized comprehensive reentry plans which address the specific needs of each Veteran and regularly works with the Veterans Court to divert appropriate cases. With this unit, we are helping those who have served our nation find their way to better days.

Special thanks go to :

• Alice Donisi-Feehan who was instrumental in pulling this very successful and informative evening together.
• Frieda Dweck, Sue Flicop, Karen Manning, and Lisa Mirable for the multi-media promotional effort.
• Our co-Spoonsors: the League of Women Voters of Arlington, Norwood, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston

LWVN was lucky to have two great speakers this week:

Thanks Lisa Danetz for joining us at Thursday’s Topic Meeting and sharing her knowledge and thoughts on voter suppression, gerrymandering and issues with absentee ballots. Thanks as well to Frieda Dweck, who organized the topic meeting. We came away with a deeper understanding of how big these issues are and their effects on our voting system.  We hope to continue this discussion in the future and appreciate Lisa’s and Frieda’s time as well as those who joined us.

Thanks as well to Launa Zimmaro, member of LWV of Concord and state legislative specialist on environmental issues, and to Bonnie Carter for planning Sunday’s meeting and for hosting us.  Launa spoke about LWVMA priorities of carbon pricing, clean energy alternatives and state legislation on environmental issues.  Launa also discussed issues stopping some of this legislation from becoming law and what we can do about them. Look for more information on these topics along with updates from LWVMA on legislative priorities.