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RIZE UP Community Research Talk

Remote  
Friday, January 09, 2026 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM   iCalendar Eastern Standard Time

Please join Caring Health Center (CHC) and the Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation, and Policy (IHE) on January 9, 2026, at 12:00 pm for a presentation and community discussion on a community health center-led research study about creating referral networks to enhance access to substance use disorder (SUD) care and recovery services in Western Massachusetts.

Attendees will learn:

  1. About community-based organization strategies and experiences responding to local substance use disorder care and recovery needs;
  2. The substance use disorder resources that are available in the community through Caring Health Center;
  3. What a “recovery community” is and its potential role in SUD care and recovery; and
  4. How CHC is strategizing to build “recovery referral networks”.

The presentation marks the culmination of the RIZE UP study, a 1.5-year qualitative study which examined the landscape of existing relationships and interactions between community-based organizations, community health centers, and people experiencing substance use disorder and how this impacts access to treatment services. CHC and IHE jointly conducted the RIZE UP study with funding from the RIZE Massachusetts Foundation. 

About Caring Health Center: Founded in 1995, Caring Health Center began with a commitment to providing essential medical care. Over the years, that commitment has grown, and the organization now offers a comprehensive range of services, including dental care, behavioral health services, WIC and pharmacy services at various locations throughout the city. With specialized no-cost additions such as free prescription deliveries, free patient transportation and translation and interpretation services in 70 languages, Caring Health Center continues to innovate and prioritize patient care. It also provides medical and dental services to justice-involved individuals through the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office.

About the Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation, and Policy (IHE): In 2023, The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Mass League) created the Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation, and Policy, Inc. (IHE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization designed to support Health Center-led Science driven by community health centers.  IHE convenes communities and supports the scientific infrastructure, implementation program evaluation and training needed to identify and sustain the most effective strategies for attaining equity in health and healthcare, as defined by those with lived experience of health inequities. 

Zoom Registration

Please note that you must register on Zoom to receive the webinar link: https://massleague.zoom.us/meeting/register/wo2k1YmVQe2F5i5xoPzn-g

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Joseph Browne with any questions: jbrowne@massleague.org.

Remote  

The RIZE UP Research Team

Caring Health Center: Cristina Huebner Torres, Chief Executive Vice President, Strategy & Research Officer. Vrinda Prakash, Vice President of Research and Population Health. Ashely Naginewicz, Behavioral Health Director. Alyssa Bertolini, Senior Director, Quality Improvement & Integration. Sheirly Marie Cruz, Community Health Worker.

Institute for Health Equity Research, Evaluation, and Policy: Cheryl Clark, Senior Vice President and Executive Director. Amanda Pickett, Program Manager and Executive Assistant. Callie Gu, Mass General Brigham Research Assistant. Tyler Pauly, IHE Research Assistant.

For more information, contact Joseph Browne at jbrowne@massleague.org.