Hello everyone!
Happy September. I know for many of our school districts, this week marked the first-time students are back in the classroom for the new school year. I hope all our students, staff, teachers, and administrators are adjusting well after their first week back!
This Monday I joined our state’s Secretary of Education, Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, West Springfield Superintendent Stefania Raschilla, and West Side teachers at West Springfield High School. It was great to engage with our state education officials and hear from local teachers about their work in West Side. Later that afternoon I was also able to stop by my team’s office hours at the Westfield COA to chat with some constituents.
With the school year beginning, our office is also saying goodbye (for now) to many of our summer interns. This past Wednesday was the last day of work for our summer intern Katelyn. She was an enthusiastic and committed intern who I know will go to accomplish great things. We’re always so sad to see our student interns move on but are grateful for all the work they do for our office. Many thanks to Katelyn for everything this summer and best of luck for what comes next!
This past Thursday, August 31st, marked the solemn occasion of International Overdose Awareness Day, the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, and I joined community members at events in Easthampton, Holyoke, and Westfield this week to mark the day. The goal of the movement is to remember loved ones who have died from drug overdose and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind, take action to encourage support and recovery for everyone impacted by substance use and overdose, and end overdose by spreading awareness of overdose prevention strategies.
Massachusetts lost 2,357 lives to opioid-related overdose deaths in 2022, a new record high for Massachusetts. That is 2,357 lives tragically cut short and thousands of families throughout our state that are still grieving the loss of their loved ones. We need to do more to support our neighbors who are struggling and to combat these heartbreaking numbers. As Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery Committee, I am committed to working on legislation this session to combat this epidemic and am proud to be in that fight with so many incredible advocates in our region.
In addition to our office hours at the Westfield COA on Monday, my office also hosted office hours at the Southampton COA on Wednesday. Next week, we will be at the Agawam COA on Tuesday from 11:00am to 12:00pm. If you can’t make office hours, I can always be reached by email, john.velis@masenate.gov, by phone, (413) 527-3920, and you can find me online at senatorjohnvelis.com
Sincerely,
John Velis