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More than 100 community members attended the first meeting of the Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition, convened by MGH and supported by the Boston Public Health Commission, MGH, and Partners in response to rising heroin and OxyContin use among Charlestown youth.
Photo: Jim Harrison

About Community Benefit Programs

Improving Care for Uninsured and Medicaid Patients through Health Care Reform

Addressing Health Care Disparities

Partnering with Community Health Centers - Cost Effective Care in the Appropriate Setting

Addressing Infant Mortality and Improving the Health of Low Income Women

Caring for Women and Children Affected by Domestic Violence

Preventing and Responding to Substance Abuse Among Young People in Charlestown and Revere

Creating Economic Opportunity

Community Partners

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, hospital admissions for treatment of heroin abuse in Massachusetts were three times the national average and highest of all the New England states in 2003. As staggering as the Massachusetts numbers are, the statistics for the one square mile of Charlestown are even more sobering. The rate of substance abuse-related hospitalizations among Charlestown residents is more than twice the rate of Boston overall. According to the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, heroin was the primary drug of choice in Charlestown and treatment for heroin abuse was higher in Charlestown than in any other Boston neighborhood. The rate of Boston Emergency Medical Services calls for heroin overdoses in Charlestown was more than three times that of the City in 2003. Finally, the number of drug related deaths among Charlestown residents is nearly 50 percent higher than the city of Boston as a whole in 1999 to 2002.

In response to these alarming trends, community leaders, the police, social service agencies, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Charlestown Health Center and its caregivers, community residents and others came together in the winter of 2004 to form the Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition (CSAC). CSAC was further galvanized by the tragic overdose of two well-known young people in April of 2004, including the death of one. With community input, a strategic plan with four key goals was developed:

Change community attitudes
Decrease the supply of drugs
Decrease demand
Prevent drug and alcohol use among youth

Since the success of the first community meeting held in November 2004, CSAC has completed a community-wide assessment, and has formulated a comprehensive strategic plan in accordance with a Massachusetts Department of Public Health planning grant via the Boston Public Health Commission. Work is underway to implement the plan.

The community of Revere is also addressing substance abuse problems. The Revere CARES (Community Awareness, Resources, and Education to Prevent Substance Abuse) Coalition was formed in 1997 to prevent and reduce alcohol and substance abuse among Revere youth. Coalitions, with the capacity to foster and facilitate collaboration, become a powerful tool to address complex problems like youth substance abuse. Through Revere CARES, residents and community leaders join forces with other parents, young people, city and state officials, the MGH Revere Health Center, and the business community to address youth substance abuse. As a result, Revere has made measurable gains in reducing youth alcohol and other drug abuse.