In the News

GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A dozen mayors gathered Wednesday afternoon to share successes they've had in addressing opioid misuse in their communities, including Greenfield.

Greenfield Mayor and President of the Massachusetts Mayors' Association Bill Martin hosted the group's monthly meeting in Greenfield to discuss the opioid epidemic in Franklin County.

"It takes more than a village to take care of this epidemic of addiction," said Mayor Martin.

One Way Greenfield has worked to tackle the epidemic is transforming this old factory into a state-of-the-art rehab center.

"So, basically, we've converted a vacant, abandoned, derelict property by working with a developer and the Behavioral Health Network," Mayor Martin added. "[Together, we] created a treatment center for addiction covering all of central and western Massachusetts."

Mayor Martin told 22News, it was in 2014 that Greenfield began construction at the factory site located at 298 Federal Street.

Now four years later, they've grown from 38,000 square feet to 85,000 square feet and created 150 jobs. 

Congressman Richard Neal attended the meeting to discuss what's being done at the federal level.

"We need more beds, we need more treatment centers," said Neal. "But this legislation that the president signed today has a major component that I offered and it would expand Medicare for the purpose of treating people who are 65 and older, who are opioid addicted."

Between 2016 and 2017 there were 2,000 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts.

Congressman Neal said there's more work to be done.