Thank you to all those who attended our Fourth Annual Breakfast of Champions on Monday April 3, 2017, to discuss the changing landscape of healthcare in the Commonwealth.

As we were reminded by our Keynote Speaker Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, the healthcare fight is far from over. That’s why it is more important than ever to bring our collective voices together and remain diligent in advocating for compassionate, comprehensive healthcare for our families and our communities.

We are honored to have the support of so many Dimock champions who came together for this important discussion. Special thanks to our event host and recipient of the inaugural Dimock Champion Award, Representative Jeffrey Sánchez, Dimock Community Foundation Board Vice-Chair Bob

Rivers and our speakers: Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, Representative Liz Malia, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, Deputy Chief of Healthcare at the Attorney General’s Office Karen Tseng and Boston Chief of Health and Human Services Felix Arroyo.

A common theme among all of our speakers was the importance of comprehensive healthcare that includes mental health and substance use disorder treatment. This holistic healthcare model is critical as Massachusetts and the country continue to lose lives due to opioid overdoses. Dimock’s continuum of substance use treatment services, including inpatient detox, residential recovery and outpatient addiction services, remain a model for future state and national treatment initiatives. In addition, our integrated primary care and mental health services are reducing stigma and increasing access to holistic healthcare for under served populations.

Healthcare is at a Critical Time

As Congressman John Lewis put it so well in the video above, healthcare is a right. A right regardless of one’s income, race, religion or gender. A right for ALL people. We are proud to work with leaders to ensure that this right remains – for Dimock families, staff and our community. Together, our voices can be heard. We can make a difference.

Write and call your legislators and tell them of the importance of keeping accessible, comprehensive healthcare. You can find your legislators here.