Select Board approves regional substance use coordinator using opioid settlement funds

WESTON — June 11, 2024 — Weston Select Board commits opioid settlement money to a first-in-state regional substance use coordinator. The board voted 3-0 Tuesday to sign an inter-municipal agreement with six neighboring towns through the Great Meadows Public Health Collaborative, funding Weston's roughly 11.5 percent share — an estimated $12,000 to $15,000 — of a $98,500 first-year position based in Sudbury. Town Manager Leon Gommand said Weston's opioid settlement special revenue account holds more than $160,000 and will receive payments for about 18 years. Shared Services Coordinator Kelly Callow said the collaborative is the first in Massachusetts to stand up a regional coordinator with pooled abatement funds, citing 2021 MetroWest survey data showing 45 percent of Weston youth have used alcohol and local rates running above the regional average. The board also appointed Alan Day, Barbie Cobb and Christine Hayward to the Council on Aging.