Chicopee Engagement Goals
- Understand the risk factors for substance use disorders and the barriers to participation in treatment, particularly those faced by low-income residents and/or residents whose primary language is not English
- Seek input on how to provide resources for parents struggling to find childcare to attend court sessions
Chicopee Stakeholder Engagement #1
The Massachusetts team and its Chicopee partners convened a two-hour engagement about the community’s substance abuse issues. Judge Bethzaida Vega from the Chicopee District Court facilitated the discussion with stakeholders in a large group discussion format at the Chicopee Public Library.
The Massachusetts team and its partners used a slideshow presentation to guide and frame the discussion around the following themes and questions:
- What problems have you observed about substance abuse through your work?
- What are resources and gaps in the community to combat these problems?
- What are potential solutions?
- What are the most important things learned at this engagement?
- What would you like to see as a follow-up to this engagement?
Chicopee Stakeholder Engagement #2
One month after the initial stakeholder engagement, the Massachusetts partners convened a one-hour follow-up engagement with stakeholders in Chicopee. A large group discussion format was used to continue the discussion from the first engagement and focused on identifying ideas for stakeholder efforts to address homelessness and substance abuse.
Chicopee Engagement Results
Specific key findings in Chicopee included:
- Participants believed a specialty drug court program was warranted.
- Participants suggested that smaller communities should explore working with specialty court dockets and programs in neighboring communities if possible.
- Incidence of Hepatitis A may be increasing among some substance users.
- Some addicts resort to theft or other crimes to support their habits.