Commonwealth of Massachusetts - DMA Health Strategies

Message from Lt. Governor Timothy P. Murray, ChairGovernor’s Interagency Council on Substance Abuse and PreventionMassachusetts has been implementing a Substance Abuse Strategic Plan originally developed in 2005 bystakeholders representing state and local agencies as well as providers and advocates. Though theCommonwealth has made excellent progress toward many of the goals within that plan, we need to recognizethe dramatic changes to our state and national health care systems, fiscal and policy environments, and alsothe need to readdress strategies outlined in that plan. The Governor’s Interagency Council on SubstanceAbuse and Prevention (ICSAP), which I chair, has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of PublicHealth’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) to spearhead the work of updating the plan.Despite improvements made over the past five years, individuals with substance use and addiction problemsnot only continue to face challenges with treatment and recovery, but also have a major negative impact onthe state’s health, human service and corrections systems. It is estimated that over 660 thousand individualsof the 1.1 million who are served by state agencies other than the Department of Public Health experiencethe impact of substance use and addictions. 2 This includes corrections agencies and courts, as well asagencies concerned with child welfare, mental health, education and others. The Commonwealth must,therefore, find new ways of expanding access to prevention, education, intervention, treatment and recoverysupport, as well as improving the quality, and enhancing the coordination, of care.The Substance Abuse Strategic Plan Update is the result of a series of sessions that took place betweenFebruary 2009 and January 2010. Attendees included stakeholders from all over the state, representing a widevariety of substance use and addictions provider organizations, state agencies, advocates and researchers, aswell as stakeholders from the criminal justice system. Additionally, the Governor’s ICSAP and the staff ofBSAS each met several times to identify needs and potential responses.On behalf of the Patrick-Murray Administration, we look forward to further addressing the focus areasoutlined in the Plan and also developing implementation strategies for each focus area.Yours truly,Timothy P. Murray,Lieutenant Governor2 See Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Substance Abuse Strategic Plan, 2005 athttp://www.mass.gov/Agov3/docs/Substance%20Abuse%20Strategic%20Plan.pptSubstance Abuse Strategic Plan UpdateJuly 2010Page ii