Thomas Breen file photo
At November's launch of Overdose Prevention Program.
A recent pair of resignations has left the city looking to fill two vacancies in a four-person program designed to combat overdoses by building relationships with people who use drugs and guiding them towards safe housing, medical care, and other supportive services.
That’s the latest with the city’s Overdose Prevention Program, which was kickstarted last November with the announcement of a $10 million, five-year federal grant.
According to recent city personnel reports, Overdose Prevention Project Manager Andressa Granado intends to resign as of July 1, after first stepping into that role last November. And Overdose Prevention Navigator Michael Abbondandolo resigned as of June 4, after first being hired in January.
As project manager, Granado oversaw the program’s operations and directed the three navigators. The navigators, according to the city’s Public Health Educator Becky Rubenstein, are “outreach workers” who go out into the community and “connect” people struggling with drug addiction “to the services they need,” including, among other things, providing safe-use Narcan.
The program will continue to function as before, Rubenstein confirmed. “We’re well-equipped to handle” these departures, she said, adding, “the program is very functional and will continue to hire.”
On June 21, the city posted a job listing for Overdose Prevention Program project manager. That job’s responsibilities include supervising project staff, providing technical support and education on department policies and procedures, and communicating clearly with others about the program’s work. The full-time job has a salary of $75,660. Click here for the official job listing.
And on Tuesday, the city posted a separate job listing for Overdose Prevention Navigator. That full-time job — at a salary range of $53,589 to $57,613 — includes such job responsibilities as conducting street outreach to people who use drugs to connect them to various support services; providing harm reduction supplies to people who use drugs; and conducting trainings on overdose prevention, stigma, and naloxone administration for members of the public. Click here for that official job listing.
Abbondandolo and Granado could not be reached for comment by the publication time of this article.