This week from OCHE + Partners: October 9, 2026

From BSAS + OCHE

🗓️           OCHE events coming up:

After a meaningful Recovery Month celebration in September, our Community Office Hours will return to their usual format featuring a community partner each month. Join us this Domestic Violence Awareness month on October 26 from 10am-12pm, to hear how Shaquera’s Story is working to disrupt cycles of intimate partner violence in Black and Brown communities across Massachusetts. Register here, and feel free to share the attached flyer.

Are you a member of BSAS’ Living Expertise Advisory Pool (LEAP) who hasn’t yet attended orientation? Want to learn more about how LEAP members participate in community consulting opportunities to shape BSAS projects? Join us at an upcoming LEAP Orientation session on October 19 from 10:30am-12pm or October 27 from 6-7:30pm, and dive into LEAP!

                We’re excited to announce the first BSAS TGE CAB Community Consulting Office Hours on November 13 from 12-1pm. Hosted by members of our Trans + Gender Expansive Community Advisory Board (TGE CAB), this virtual series offers an informal space for community members, service providers, and others to meet and leverage the wisdom of OCHE partners with lived, living, and professional expertise at the intersection of substance use and gender identity. Register here to attend, and see the attached flyer for more info.

ℹ️  With the help of LEAP members, BSAS created a new website with information about Alcohol and Health that provides data, strategies, and resources related to how alcohol consumption impacts the health of Massachusetts residents.

From our partners

🗓️           The Massachusetts Technical Assistance Center for Problem Gambling (MTAC) invites you to upcoming Regionwide Meetings. These bring together community members and partners to strengthen local connections, share key information about problem gambling treatment and support, and highlight opportunities for engagement and funding. They will also offer time to network, exchange ideas, discuss successes and challenges, and learn from others across the region. See the attached flyer for details about each region’s meeting.

💡  Space is still available in upcoming trainings and workshops hosted by OCHE partners:

                How to Have a Supportive Conversation about Substance Use with MASBIRT TTA meets virtually on October 13 + 14, and focuses on learning and practicing skills based in Motivational Interviewing (MI), to enhance conversations about substance use. We’ve heard this free training has been especially helpful for community leaders who want to increase their capacity to support others when substance use emerges as a priority – register here.

                From Awareness to Action: Supporting Trans People in Public Health Services with Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) meets virtually on October 23 from 10am-12pm, exploring how gender equity intersects with Social Determinants of Health and examining the unique barriers transgender and nonbinary people may face when accessing public health services. Scholarships may be available if $15 registration fee is a barrier.

                When Grief Lives in the Body: Understanding the Physical Experience of Loss with Support After Death by Overdose (SADOD) is a virtual interactive psychoeducational workshop on October 27 from 6:30-8pm exploring the physical experience of grief and how grief can affect the body, why physical symptoms may emerge after a loss. Massachusetts residents can register for free here.

🗣️           The Grayken Center for Addiction has opened a call for proposals for the Together for Hope 2027 conference that will take place on June 4 in Boston. Topics can focus on research, clinical care, education, public health, or policy related to substance use disorders and recovery. Learn more and submit a proposal by November 13 here.

🗓️           The Community Health Training Institute (CHTI) will host a free Responding to Misinformation in Public Health: Building Trust, Resilience, and Effective Communication webinar on October 20 from 10am-12pm. This interactive training will equip Massachusetts public health professionals with practical skills for recognizing, assessing, and responding to health misinformation – register here.

🔨          DPH’s Office of Problem Gambling recently announced an expansion of recovery supports for people affected by gambling harm, introducing a new mobile application that will be available alongside the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline. Learn more and download the app here.

🗓️           Join JP Recovery Center and other local organizations at the Stronger Together Health Fair on October 31 from 10am-1pm at Roxbury Community College. This free community event will bring together healthcare organizations, community organizations, universities, local businesses, and other community resources to connect Boston residents with health education, prevention/wellness resources, screenings, and more. See the attached flyer for more details.

🗣️           Police Assisted Addiction + Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is seeking new members of its Lived Experience Council, an ongoing group of people directly impacted by substance use who come together to share perspective, ideas, and feedback that help guide PAARI’s programs and priorities. Individuals holding lived experience with substance use, either personally or through someone you love, are invited to learn more and apply here.

🤝          Bridge Recovery Center in Malden is excited to share the attached October events calendar filled with lots of ways to connect including peer support meetings of many pathways, Patriots watch parties, a Halloween bash and more. Contact jlanneville@maldenovercomingaddiction.org with any questions or to get involved.

🗣️           DPH’s 2026 Community Health Equity Survey (CHES) is live! Want to make sure everyone’s voice is represented and add to the 8,000 responses already received? The CHES team can join your upcoming event with tablets, tabling support, and gift cards as incentives. Share your upcoming event here.

💰           Mass Cultural Council (MCC) has opened a funding opportunity through the Tribal Cultural Council Program, which supports Native American and Indigenous communities by providing funds for Tribal governments to grant to projects that provide community benefit. Learn more and apply by October 15 here.

🗣️           NASTAD has opened a Request for Applications (RFA) for Hepatitis Advocacy Consultants. Applicants should have lived or living experience with hepatitis or related liver conditions addressed in the project, experience with public speaking, and should be interested in reducing stigma and developing advocacy skills. Learn more and apply by November 10 here.