The mission of the Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative (BOAPC) is to collectively implement local policy, practice, systems, and/or environmental changes to reduce harms from opioid and stimulant use, and to prevent substance-related deaths and harmful impacts throughout the 32 municipalities in Berkshire County.

On March 29, 2023, Governor Healey signed into law a supplemental budget bill which, among other things, extends the temporary provisions pertaining to the Open Meeting Law to March 31, 2025.

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission acts as a fiduciary agent for emergency planning and response activities.

Tickborne illness dashboard that is updated weekly throughout tick season.

This funding will be used to further supplement MRC activities and supplies.

BRPC acts as fiscal host for the Berkshire County Boards of Health Association (BCBOHA) and provides administrative tasks as needed. BRPC also runs BCBOHA's Septic Installer Certification, program and other educational programs.

This BE3C project is basing its collaborative work on the shared belief that when we as a community prioritize the health and wellbeing of Women and Girls of Color, that the wellbeing of all people will improve. With this knowledge, the BE3C partners, aided by BOAPC and WOCHE, will build a new way of doing substance misuse prevention planning: By creating a culturally-responsive, safe space where community members can come together to share knowledge, stories, and experiences, build new relationships, and create tools to address the identified needs of Girls of Color ages 5-11 in the community of Pittsfield.

BRPC has been retained as a consultant to write Berkshire Health Systems' Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA).

The provision of blood pressures cuffs from the American Heart Association (AHA) will allow the Public Health Nurses (PHN) to supply needed blood pressure cuffs to the public. The PHN identify individuals with high blood pressure at community clinics, and provide them with a free cuff and education on use, as well as ensuring those with dangerously high blood pressure seek medical attention. The AHA has also provided printed materials for public education.

This pilot increases access to care for people with SUD and a carceral history in rural Berkshire County, MA by addressing barriers related to transportation and the higher cost of rural care via 3 key activities: Pair EMS with Sheriff’s Office navigators to enhance field medical services and linkage to primary care; Improve First Responder ability to address overdose through field bupe induction and improved overdose response; Enhance OEND training for formerly incarcerated individuals by incorporating an Overdose Safety Plan and SafeSpot “test call” Following guidance from people with lived and living experience, this project will create a scalable structure to build collaboration among primary care, behavioral health and the legal system.

BOAPC will engage community members to carry out to Days of Action to knock on doors in areas/ neighborhoods with higher rates of overdose. They will increase awareness of fentanyl in the supply, particularly for people who use stimulants, and encourage engagement with Berkshire Harm Reduction, SafeSpot, the Thrive Team and other local supports.

This funding is used to support the Berkshire Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) efforts. The Coordinator and other staff will oversee the MRC including meeting and coordination with other emergency preparedness stakeholders, development of training needs assessments, participation in exercises, drills and events, and the management of volunteers.

Municipal allocation from the town of Lanesborough for MA Opioid Manufacturer Settlements intended for use by the Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative (BOAPC) in association with the North Berkshire Opioid Abatement Collaborative (OAC)

Municipal allocation from the town of Peru for MA Opioid Manufacturer Settlements intended for use by the Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative (BOAPC)

Through pooled Opioid Abatement funds from eight Northern Berkshire Municipalities (Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, New Ashford, North Adams, Savoy, and Williamstown) and Berkshire Health Systems, this project will engage a full-time staff member to coordinate community-led efforts to enhance harm reduction, treatment and recovery efforts while addressing underlying root causes in order to reduce opioid overdoses and related harms from substance misuse and addiction.

These project funds are provided through the Massachusetts Healthy Community Fund and are committed to removing barriers to health, incuding structural and institutional racism, poverty and other power inbalances, through community-centered policies, systems and environmental changes approaches. The Pittsfield Gray to Green Project will engage the community and prioritize green planning in a social and racial justice context. Partners include Habitat for Humanity and Working Cities, 18 Degrees and the City of Pittsfield.

Plastic pollution has long been recognized as an environmental problem. Research now suggests that microplastics are also a human health problem. BRPC has partnered with the Toxics Use Reduction Institute on a three-pronged approach to addressing each of these problems: 1. Development of public-facing materials on how everyday citizens can reduce their exposure to microplastics, 2. Development of educational materials for food establishments on how to explore safe alternatives to single-use plastic containers, 3. Development of a toolkit for municipalities on the subject of plastics reduction bylaws.

BRPC will continue to coordinate the Berkshire County Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Coalition/Berkshire County Boards of Health Association in FY26, in collaboration with the BCBOHA Executive Committee and the BCBOHA membership. It will also work with other contractors to ensure that exercises and other deliverables are completed. Public Health Emergency Preparedness Funding supports local Boards of Health in Berkshire County in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and disasters from a public health and health equity perspective. Berkshire County Boards of Health Association (BCBOHA) serves as the emergency preparedness coalition for Berkshire County.

To support the SPARK Coalition’s goal of promoting positive mental health and social connections among youth in central Berkshire County, BRPC will collaborate with Pittsfield High School to pilot the Active Minds peer mental health support program. Developed in collaboration with the Youth Advisory Boards (YABs), this initiative empowers students to lead conversations around mental health, reduce stigma, and foster a compassionate school environment. Through structured sessions and leadership opportunities, students will gain skills in emotional awareness, empathy, and peer support, advancing SPARK’s mission to reduce substance misuse by strengthening youth resilience and community ties.

The SPARK Coalition aims to prevent and reduce substance misuse and its associated harms among Central Berkshire County middle and high school aged youth.

The project builds on existing capacities to expand new and ongoing community-centered, field-based interventions to address the Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Lifecycle of prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery in Berkshire County, MA. The project contains three coordinated, regionally specific (North, Central, and South) field programs that reduce the risk of harm from substance use, decrease arrests, and improve health outcomes through field outreach to higher-risk individuals, outreach to & engagement with communities disproportionately affected by substances, along with training and public communications to decrease stigma and increase engagement with services.

Supplemental funding for BRPC's youth substance use prevention and mental health promotion efforts, including SPARK and the Berkshire Early Childhood Community Circle (BE3C), for necessary costs that cannot be covered by other funders