Multi-year grant to help fund student-centered wellness and enrichment activities
ABCD’s William J. Ostiguy Recovery High School has received a $324,000 multi year grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services to expand comprehensive year-round, after-school and out-of-school, services and supports for youths with substance use disorder.
Recovery high schools in Beverly and Springfield also received funding.
“Research has shown that being in a school setting that promotes recovery provides students with an influential network that can lead to academic success and a reduction in substance use,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “This award will expand after-school and outside of school support particularly in response to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The program at Ostiguy focuses on enrichment activities through partnerships with The Phoenix, Improbable Players, and The Medicine Wheel; student centered wellness; and paid employment opportunities.
“Ostiguy is committed to working with students in all stages of their relationship with drugs and alcohol. This project allows us to connect more intentionally and appropriately with those who are at the beginning stages, not only those who identify as being in recovery,” said Roger Oser, principal, William J. Ostiguy High School.The program is funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) State Opioid Response (SOR) grant. For more information about this program, or Ostiguy, please visit ostiguyhigh.org.