Braintree Police Chief Takes Part In Prescription Abuse Summit

From Norfolk County District Attorney's Office: Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey traveled with a group of Norfolk County leaders to the National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin summit in Atlanta, Georgia this week for seminars on federal efforts and what other regions are doing to decrease opiate addiction and overdose.

Morrissey, whose office presented at the Summit in 2015 on his work training and equipping area police departments for the use of the opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone, said it is important to keep up with what is being done in other regions – in case it might work here.

“This area is ahead of much of the country in overdose prevention and drug collection strategies, but it is helpful to see how other areas are supplying education and collecting data on their work,” District Attorney Morrissey said. “It is encouraging to see the rest of the country moving toward constructive intervention and prevention strategies.”

The four day summit, featuring 250 presenters from across the country and around the world, concludes Thursday, District Attorney Morrissey said.

Other Norfolk County leaders present at the Summit included Quincy Detective Lt. Pat Glynn, who oversees the city’s pioneering naloxone program, Braintree Prevention Coordinator Lyn Frano and Braintree Police Chief Paul Shastany, whose efforts when he was Stoughton Chief served as the model for the county-wide naloxone program. From Randolph were Police Chief William Pace, Commander David Avery, Public Health Nurse Jean McGinty and Firefighter Tom Binnall. Stoughton Prevention Coordinator Staphanie Patton presented at the conference.

“Our area sent an impressive slate of experienced professionals dedicated to stemming the crisis of addiction that is impacting our communities so seriously,” Morrissey said. “There are many hands doing the work of preventing addiction, breaking addiction and saving people from death by overdose. It would be hard to overstate the importance of the work and dedication they represent.”

Photo courtesy of Norfolk District Attorney's Office (Braintree Police Chief Paul Shastany, left, is photographed at the Summit with Det. Lt. Patrick Glynn of the Quincy PD, District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey and State Police Det. Lt. Kevin Shea, commander of the State Police detective unit in Morrissey’s office.)