From the Desk of Carrie Bridges Feliz
Seeking to fill Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC) Membership Slots
The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee has had a productive first two years, taking in community input from the Governor’s Overdose Task Force and others, and using that input to make recommendations for almost $50 million in settlement dollar spending. These recommendations have turned into important funded projects, including the following:
• Seed funding for Rhode Island’s Overdose Prevention Center
• Investments in new and expanded Harm Reduction Activities, including a focus on Rhode Island’s BIPOC communities.
• Support for housing supports, basic needs, and other social determinants of health
• Bricks and mortar improvements in multiple treatment facilities
• Support for youth prevention, both in schools and in the community – including an intentional focus on BIPOC youth
The membership of the Advisory Committee is set through the formal settlement agreement. The Committee holds eight in-person meetings a year, held at the EOHHS Virks Office Building, at 3 West Road in Cranston. The Committee includes representatives from state government and from Rhode Island’s cities and town.
The state and city members are then responsible for electing a total of two Community Members and three Expert Members. The terms of these Community and Expert members last for either two, three, or four years. This year, two of these spots are open to be filled: one Community Member and one Expert Member. Anyone can apply, including the current members filling the spots.
Community members do not need to meet any specific criteria, however EOHHS seeks to ensure diversity of all kinds is represented on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. This includes racial and ethnic diversity and the participation of people with lived experience.
Expert members are to be drawn from fields including but not limited to public health, pharmacology, epidemiology, emergency medicine, behavioral health, and recovery. This can include people with lived experience in addressing overdose prevention.
I am writing today to invite you to apply for one of these positions, or to share this invitation with anyone you think would be interested.
Please click here to fill out the application, which includes a set of short answer questions, a prompt for an essay question, and a request for your resume or CV, if you have either of those.
We ask you to email your essay question and resume or CV to the Opioid Settlement Program Manager, Mariama Jallow. You may also contact Mariama with any questions about the application process.
The deadline to apply is Monday, March 11, 2024 at 5:00 pm.
Thank you so much – and we look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Carrie Bridges Feliz
Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Chair
