Mayor’s opioid task force highlights expanded overdose follow-up, Narcan distribution and school outreach

Mayor Ellen Zapposasu convened the Mayor’s Opioid Task Force and heard a detailed briefing on overdose response and prevention efforts across Bristol.

Deidre of BEST presented the 2025 wellness-survey results, saying substance-use rates have declined since 2023 but that use is now appearing in younger ages — as young as 12 and 13 — prompting a recommendation to expand prevention work into middle schools. Deidre urged community members to join monthly youth coalition meetings (second Wednesday) and adult coalition meetings (fourth Thursday) to coordinate outreach and prevention.

Jessica Mashapiro of the Bristol Burlington Health District described a new community-based “school recovery” approach that attempts to follow up with every reported overdose identified via OD maps. Mashapiro said BBHD partners with police and EMS, visits shelters and service providers and uses peer support to encourage treatment engagement. “We attempt to do overdose follow-ups … the whole goal of our program is to better connect people to resources,” Mashapiro said.

BBHD staff reported early outcomes from roughly three months of outreach: four people connected to detox, three to inpatient services and eight to outpatient services. The team also distributes Narcan kits, fentanyl-test strips and wound-care supplies during outreach and at community events. Angie of BBHD noted a recent Narcan table at a Walmart where about 40 kits were collected and community members openly discussed family overdoses, a sign she said of reduced stigma and increased readiness to carry Naloxone.

Task force members flagged data and mapping challenges that limit real-time outreach. Mashapiro and others said ODMAP and state reporting contain mapping errors and missing demographic contact fields, delaying follow-up and costing a window of opportunity to engage people after a nonfatal overdose. Mashapiro said she has raised the problem with state officials and was told that a SWORD dashboard with expanded municipal access is planned for 2026.

The mayor closed the discussion by assigning follow-up tasks: reengage the hospital on the COBRA diversion pathway, inventory remaining opioid-settlement funds, and coordinate revised pamphlets and leave-behind Narcan kits for police and EMS to give after overdoses. The group agreed to continue monthly coalition meetings and to use upcoming community events, such as the farmers market, to expand kit distribution.