New England Public Health Training Center emphasizes community connection in its addiction training

“Community health workers are getting training in substance abuse disorders and how to support recovery.”  – Dawn Heffernan, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Issues of addiction and mental health have gained new urgency in Massachusetts, where the opioid death rate has nearly quadrupled over the past four years. The University of Massachusetts arm of New England Public Health Training Center has taken the lead in training community health workers to identify addiction and to steer troubled citizens to proper treatment. One tactic: avoiding the judgment and stigma often attached to opioid abuse by creating an awareness that language matters and using the technique of motivational interviewing to create trust and an interest in finding treatment. “Avoiding stigma is critical,” Heffernan says. “Other people, such as police or doctors, will treat a person differently depending on how the community health workers speak to them or about them.”

In early 2017, NEPHTC offered its first training for Community Health Workers on substance use.  The course, entitled “Understanding Substance Use Disorders and Models for Supporting Recovery” will be offered in fall of 2017 in Connecticut.

This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP27877/Regional Public Health Training Center Program. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.