The town launched a new position on July 1, welcoming Rachel Dzialo as its first substance use program coordinator.

Spring Town Meeting approved the use of $435,000 in opioid legal settlement funds for Fiscal Year 2026, which come from a 2022 statewide settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers and are used to supplement and strengthen resources for prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. Between 2022 and 2038, Dartmouth is expected to receive a total of more than $1.1 million in funds, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

Two months on the job, the advancement of previous initiatives brought about by the Dartmouth Advocates for Addiction, Recovery and Treatment is well underway and Dzialo says she’s on a mission to get to know the community and develop partnerships. 

Funds have been so far committed to funding Dzialo’s position and a number of school initiatives. Approximately $13,000 is slated to fund a new social and emotional learning program at the high school called Wayfinder and about $32,000 to install vape detectors in the rest of the bathrooms at the high school. Additionally, approximately $100,000 is being put toward the development of afterschool programs at the middle school, including transportation.

All three school initiatives are set to launch this academic year. Dzialo said the idea is to have the vape detectors installed and functioning by the start of school on Wednesday, Aug. 27 and noted she is also exploring with the district the idea of putting them in the middle school.

Wayfinder will also begin at the start of school. Dzialo said, “It’s that positive messaging to engage the kids in the schools on positive decision making, healthy habits and stuff — like reinforcement stuff for their social and emotional growth.”

Superintendent June Saba-Maguire said they are currently developing the plans for the middle school after school programs and hope to launch them in the spring.

Beyond the schools, Dzialo said the town will continue to fund the police department’s outreach efforts, which she noted has recently included going into local businesses to see what ways they can offer support, such as receiving Narcan.

“The police department historically has partnered with other agencies to do post-overdose outreach,” she said. “So, we’re kind of here to help fill the gaps and make sure they’re still getting out there.”

“One of my goals is to see what else they might need, what kind of support this position can offer them to expand their outreach as well,” Dzialo added.

While the town no longer will be moving forward with the idea for a “harm reduction vending machine,” which would have been stocked with Narcan and other supplies, Dzialo said she is in the process of applying to be a part of the Community Narcan Distribution Program through the Department of Public Health. 

“So Narcan can be readily available here at Town Hall and we can see what other town buildings might want to also receive and have Narcan on hand,” she said.

She added the hope is to also bring in NaloxBoxes, which would carry Naloxone to treat opioid overdoses, and AEDs to various town buildings and will be exploring partnerships with some community groups who may be interested in helping make that happen. She noted another goal of hers is to develop the town’s connection to community partners, such as those in New Bedford, to expand resource options for residents.

Dzialo has also been preparing for the annual Overdose Awareness event, which is set to take place at Town Hall on Thursday, Aug. 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be speakers, but the focus is on the community partners who are there to help connect the community with resources. 

Stepping Stone’s Peer-to-Peer Program, Seven Hills, the Dartmouth Community Justice Support Center, both the Dartmouth and New Bedford Health Departments and others will be in attendance.

“I think having events like this kind of normalizes the conversations around addiction treatment, harm reduction and all that,” Dzialo said. “For me personally, I think consistency and visibility in the community is important and we hope to kind of engage with more community members.”

Historically, in comparison to surrounding communities, Dartmouth has had “relatively low numbers” when it comes to opioid-related overdoses, Dzialo said, so her work is also about ensuring it stays that way.

According to the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, five residents died due to an opioid-related overdose from July 2023 to June 2024, which was 50% less than the county rate. And from January 2024 to December 2024, 20 residents had an opioid-related emergency room visit.

The Select Board has noted in the past the idea is to have the focus of the funds shift from opioids to general wellness.

The settlement funding will end after 2038, so the coordinator will also be looking at other grant opportunities to expand on the offerings and generate more funding sources to continue the work of the Dartmouth Advocates for Addiction Recovery and Treatment task force.

Prior to coming to Dartmouth, Dzialo received her bachelor’s from the University of New Haven in forensic psychology and her master’s from UConn Hartford for public administration. She has worked both patient-facing and in programming, having begun work in Section 35, which is when a person is involuntarily committed to an inpatient treatment facility due to an alcohol or substance use disorder in which there is a likelihood of serious harm as a result.

However, she said she realized she didn’t like the correctional side of the work and really enjoyed the rehabilitation as she’s always had an interest in human behavior.

“I’ve always had the perspective that there's got to be a root cause to things,” she said. “I feel like that rings especially true with addiction. I always like to say there’s a person before the addiction started and we just have to get back to finding those tools to help them get back to themselves.”

Dzialo said she is excited to be able to work both with the community and on programming in this new position, noting she wants to get to know the specific needs of the Dartmouth community.

“I’m hoping that by getting to know the community, by getting out to different events, we can kind of learn what might be missing or what we can do to enhance what’s already been done,” she said.

Considering other people’s journeys and perspectives is important to this work, Dzialo said, which is why she emphasizes collaboration.

She said, “It truly does take a village.”