New Bedford Clergy And Police Fight Opioid Epidemic
One Person At A Time
Reverend David Lima drives through the city with the outreach team.
It's
a gray, rainy late summer afternoon, and four members of New Bedford's
opioid outreach program have gathered outside the city's police
headquarters. They're about to head out on the streets, to search for
people who recently survived an opioid overdose.
The
police officer on today's team is Lt. Arthur Hegarty. He's not in
uniform — just khakis, a short-sleeved collared shirt, and fleece vest.
He has a clipboard with names and addresses of seven people the team
will try to visit. Most of the addresses come from 911 calls reporting
overdoses.
The goal isn't to arrest anyone. The team wants to talk, to engage — to try to steer a person away from a fatal overdose.
"It's
all about trying to connect with them, build that relationship, build
the trust," says Reverend David Lima. He heads the Inter-Church Council
of Greater New Bedford, and he and his wife co-pastor New Seasons
Worship Center in East Freetown. Lima and the police started the opioid
outreach program more than two years ago.
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Rev. David A. Lima looks on as Brenda Venice reads the NAMI- Bristol County's Heroes in Fight Award
David Lima honored for work on mental illness, suicide
Accepts award on behalf of the Greater New Bedford Suicide Prevention Coalition
The Rev. David Lima, Executive Minister of the
Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford and leader of the Greater New
Bedford Suicide Prevention Coalition, was given the annual NAMI Bristol
County award for service in mental health issues and work in the fight
against suicide.
NAMI stands for the National Alliance on Mental
Illness, and the award was given to him as the head of the Suicide
Prevention Coalition.
The award celebrates the effort to bring
“dignity, courage hope and recovery of people with severe and persistent
mental illness,” said Brenda Venice of NAMI Bristol County.
Venice
said the award was first given in 2006, a total of three times, as an
effort by the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company to reward work in mental
health. She said the statewide NAMI award has been discontinued, but she
keeps the recognition going, each year recognizing hard work and
dedication to the cause.
The award was presented Thursday evening at the “Community
Conversation on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention” at the state
Department of Mental Health offices in New Bedford.
The event was
sponsored by the New Bedford Veterans Center, the state Department of
Mental Health, NAMI of Bristol County, FHR of New Bedford (formerly the
Fellowship Health Resource), the Program for Assertive Community
Treatment (PACT), and the Parents Information Network for children
2016
Celebrating 77 Years In Ministry
Greater New Bedford Suicide Prevention Coalition
The coalition’s mission is about building a network to save lives because every life is precious. We intend to raise awareness about suicides in our community, particularly youth suicides, and where to turn for help and resources.
