2018 Annual Conference

Parking Information

Parking is available in the Parking Garage, 451 Great Hill Drive, Bridgewater.

Shuttle Buses are available throughout the day to transport to and from the conference.

Featured Speakers

Governor Charlie Baker was inaugurated as the 72nd Governor of Massachusetts on January 8th, 2015.

Since taking office, he has been making Massachusetts a great place to live, work and raise a family while delivering a customer-service oriented state government that is as hard working as the people of the Commonwealth.

Upon taking office, Governor Baker worked to close two budget gaps worth more than $2 billion without raising taxes, while bolstering local aid for our schools and communities, investing in a more reliable public transportation system and prioritizing funds to fight the opioid and heroin epidemic.

Governor Baker has supported robust business sectors by reforming the Commonwealth's regulatory environment, holding the line on taxes, and advancing efforts to rein in energy costs.

Ensuring Massachusetts continues to be a national leader in education, Governor Baker has invested over $4.6 billion in Chapter 70 education funding -- the highest level of local education aid in state history.

Confronted with a devastating opioid and heroin epidemic, Governor Baker’s administration has implemented a plan focused on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support, including partnering with the legislature on passage of landmark legislation.

Met with a historic snowfall during his first winter in office that halted our beleaguered mass transit system, Governor Baker undertook a major overhaul to fix the MBTA by appointing a Fiscal and Management Control Board to oversee the system's operations and finances, and prioritize investments in the core system that over one million daily riders depend upon.

Prior to his election, Governor Baker was a highly successful leader of complex business and government organizations, serving as a cabinet secretary to both Governor William Weld and Paul Cellucci, and leading Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, as CEO, from the brink of bankruptcy to one of the nation’s highest ranked health care providers.

Raised in Needham, Governor Baker and his wife Lauren reside in Swampscott, and are the proud parents of their three children, Charlie, AJ, and Caroline.

Boston Medical Center Appoints Michael Botticelli Executive Director of the new Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine
Obama's Drug Policy Advisor Changed the US Approach to Addiction

BOSTON– On the heels of the $25 million gift from John and Eilene Grayken to intensify Boston Medical Center’s fight against the burgeoning opioid epidemic, BMC today named Michael Botticelli the first executive director of the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine.
Botticelli, one of the nation’s leading addiction experts, served as the Director of National Drug Control Policy at the White House under President Obama.
Botticelli was the first person to hold the position who was also in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder and who came from a public health background. His predecessors were law enforcement officials, doctors and a military general.

“Michael embodies every item on the wish list of what we wanted in the ideal Director of the Grayken Center and he is the perfect fit for the Center and its ability to lead in this battle,” said Boston Medical Center CEO Kate Walsh. “Michael was instrumental in getting the fight against addiction to the top of the national agenda. He fought for additional funding, and worked closely with groups across the country to develop and replicate clinical treatment programs that work. But he also led the way on shaping our country’s understanding of addiction as a disease, not a moral failing or character flaw, and that patients with substance use disorder deserve treatment not punishment. He is a true leader in addiction medicine.”

This marks a return for Mr. Botticelli to Boston, where he previously served as Director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, working closely with many BMC experts and others to extend successful models of care developed at BMC across the state and the nation. He has served in a variety of leadership roles for the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors. He was a member of the Advisory Committee for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. He has also co-authored many peer-reviewed articles that have significantly contributed to the field. Born in Upstate New York, Mr. Botticelli holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Siena College and a Master of Education degree from St. Lawrence University. He is also in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder, celebrating more than 28 years of recovery.

“I am excited and a bit in awe of the opportunity to work with this team to build the Grayken Center on the already strong foundation of great work in addiction medicine at BMC,” said Botticelli. “BMC’s international leadership in research, teaching, and clinical programming on substance use disorders and their consequences is well known. And the Grayken’s extraordinary gift makes it possible to spark innovation on new models of treatment and care that will have real impact.”

The Grayken Center's mission will focus on three aspects of addiction medicine:

• Research – The Center will increase the pace of innovative research at BMC, already one of the most highly respected addictions research programs in the country, with a body of published work that has transformed addiction care. It will enable further multi-disciplinary research on new approaches examining innovative care models.
• Treatment –The Grayken Center will increase BMC’s reach in developing and testing new care models, bringing together experts to establish metrics against which outcomes can be tracked and more advanced data and analytics infrastructure developed.
• Training and Prevention –The Grayken Center will join with key government agencies and lawmakers to reduce barriers to addiction treatment. It will expand existing training programs for doctors, nurses and other clinicians on addiction medicine, and will develop educational materials for prescribers.

Kevin Rosario is the Regional Outreach Representative for Gosnold Treatment Centers.

Founded in 1972, Gosnold is New England’s leading non-profit provider of mental health and substance use disorder services. Gosnold offers a comprehensive continuum of care tailored to fit the needs of each individual including on-going support for patients and families on and off Cape Cod.

Mr. Rosario is a Nationally Certified Recovery Coach, Family Coach and Intervention Professional and has worked in the field since 2012. Kevin’s primary role is to serve as a liaison between EAP’s, Union Reps, HR Departments, medical and clinical professionals and the people they serve. Navigating treatment can be very stressful and Kevin is always available to provide guidance and direction when it is needed most. He is also very active in the community and shares openly that he is a person in long-term recovery and is passionate about using his experience to help others.

Pastor Christopher Mello served as the Director of  Admissions Teen Challenge

Chris Mello has been involved with Teen Challenge Brockton for more than 18 years. Chris earned his MBA and was working as a successful account executive until addiction  got the better of him.

One day in 1999, Chris walked through the doors of Teen Challenge, feeling broken but hopeful, and it was there he found his path to full recovery.

Chris has served in many different roles with Teen Challenge, including his role as a father when his own son, Johnathan, joined the program 21 months later to face down his own problems.

Chris was able to again witness a transformation, this time in his son’s life. Both Chris and Johnathan serve the ministry in leadership capacities and have had the joy of seeing other men set free from the throes of addiction.

Today, it is our privilege to honor a man that has been a role model and mentor for so many.

Resource Fair