Our team was honored to attend the Together for Hope conference at the DCU Center in Worcester hosted by Boston Medical Center’s Grayken Center for Addiction. This impactful event brought together addiction experts, healthcare professionals, and individuals with lived experience to collaborate, exchange insights, and ignite hope in the ongoing fight against addiction.

Team members from across BHN came together at the conference, reflecting our shared commitment to learning, growing, and leading in the field of addiction recovery. We were proud to have several BHN staff members share their expertise and innovative work on the state and future of addiction treatment. 

Medical Director, Dr. Ruth Potee, presented a thought-provoking session titled “Creating a Vision for What Methadone Treatment Could Look Like.” Her continued leadership and innovation are instrumental in shaping the future of addiction treatment.

Calla Harrington, LICSW, Orange and Greenfield OTP Clinical Supervisor, co-led the breakout session “Working with Patients Who Have SUD and Brain Injury,” which addressed the often-overlooked intersection of brain injury and addiction. The session encouraged a multidisciplinary, inclusive approach to care through the lens of Ableism and accessibility.

Hope Center Program Director Desiree Pelletier and HR Total Rewards Director Claudia Muradian-Brubach, MBA, also represented BHN in a powerful session focused on overcoming CORI-related barriers to employment. Their panel shed light on the Commonwealth’s second-level CORI review waiver process and emphasized the importance of equitable hiring practices that support individuals in recovery and strengthen the workforce.

Physician Assistant Anthony English, MBA, PA-C, presented a medical poster on BHN’s new methadone missed dose policy and dosing calculator, which supports safer and more individualized care in the fentanyl era.

The conference also featured a powerful keynote from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, who spoke about turning pain into purpose and the importance of honoring lived experience in the fight against addiction.

We left the conference inspired and proud to be part of the movement bringing healing and hope to those affected by addiction.