The state’s 21-member Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council approved the plan. It calls for applying the fund to expand a new student loan repayment program to include workers who provide acute care, stabilization services, and residential treatment for substance use disorders.
A December 2021 pandemic relief bill signed by Gov. Charlie Baker included $110 million for a loan repayment assistance program for mental health professionals working in community health centers. However, the tuition reimbursement plan did not include workers in substance-abuse programs.
Council member John Rosenthal said the committee should do whatever is necessary to back workers in those programs.
“These people are heroes, who are working on the front lines of our fight against opioid addiction, and dedicating themselves to this life-saving work,” Mr. Rosenthal said.
Massachusetts recorded 2,290 confirmed or suspected opioid-related deaths in 2021. That number is 8.8 percent higher than in 2020, according to the state Department of Public Health.
