A FREE THURSDAY PUBLICATION
THURSDAY JUNE 4, 2015
“I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion-and where it isn’t, that’s where my work lies.” (Ram Dass)
SOUTHBOSTONONLINE.COM
The Gavin Foundation: “Restoration of Dignity” by John McGahan and Rick Winterson
This is the fourth article in a series of write-ups about the drug crisis we face all over Boston, as well as all over Massachusetts. Recently, the most visible evidence of this crisis has been the huge death toll from heroin overdoses – more than 1,000 in the Commonwealth l in 2014. Yes, that figure is correct – more than a thousand deaths from heroin last year. South Boston Online interviewed John McGahan, who cowrote and provided the input for this article. John is the President of the Gavin Foundation, which
is located in South Boston and serves the City of Boston as a key player in prevention of and recovery from substance abuse and drug addiction. We talked briefly about the prevalence of heroin in Boston and its role in far too many deaths. In John’s opinion, the problem is just as bad this year. That’s partly because heroin is so cheap at $4 to $6 a hit; it’s also because drug usage is still regarded as “cool” by many users and potential users. John spoke about a recent incident in Somerville: The Somerville police found three users near death, after being overcome by high-strength heroin. Thankcontinued on page 2
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Free Cash Award
Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley last week delivered a check for $4,000 in seized drug money to the Youth Ambassadors Program at the South Boston Community Health Center to support the agency’s substance abuse prevention efforts. The free cash award is part of Conley’s annual Asset Forfeiture Community Reinvestment Program, which funds programs that help Suffolk County kids and teens stay away from drugs, gangs, and dangerous behavior. At the South Boston Community Health Center, the Youth Ambassadors are trained as peer leaders in a wide variety of topics including substance abuse & prescription drug misuse prevention, teen health and peaceful conflict resolution.
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