10/15/2026
Just catching up with a great article in the Boston Globe on October 8th featuring the great work of Plymouth County Outreach and its Exec Director, Vicky Butler, a longtime GPCHNA steering committee member. PCO is working with Kingston PD and 27 other departments to do life-saving work.
KPD On The Front Page
Police departments don't always make the front page of The Boston Globe for good reasons. Today, we're proud to say that Kingston PD did. It was for the work we're doing alongside Plymouth County Outreach (PCO) and PAARI to help individuals and families impacted by substance use disorder.
The Globe highlighted the work of our own Sergeant Ryan Calter and PCO Executive Director Vicky Butler, who regularly work together to connect with some of our community's most vulnerable residents with help, resources, and opportunities for recovery. Sometimes that means knocking on someone's door days after an overdose, not to arrest them, but simply to let them know someone cares, and that help is available.
One individual featured in the article credits this very program with saving his life. These stories that don't always make the news but they're among the most important work we do. Kingston PD and every Police Department within Plymouth County have partnered with PCO to do this work for nearly a decade, and it has made a significant positive impact.
Unfortunately, there is another side to this story that deserves just as much attention. Plymouth County Outreach is approaching a serious financial cliff.
As grant funding that has supported this program comes to an end, PCO is working to establish sustainable financial support from the state and municipalities throughout the county. Some of our communities, like Kingston, have already committed funds and others have not. While those conversations are ongoing, locally as well as with the Office of the Governor and other state agencies, securing the necessary funding across so many communities is challenging, and time is running short.
Potential solutions may involve a combination of municipal contributions and state-level support, including the use of opioid settlement and abatement funds intended to address the devastating impacts of the opioid epidemic. If you aren't familiar with Op**te Abatement Funds, google it, and you'll find that those funds are designed to be dedicated to programs just like this. Unfortunately, it's been difficult to access those funds.
PCO has helped transform how law enforcement responds to substance use disorder. Rather than simply responding to overdoses, we now have the ability to follow up, build relationships, connect individuals with treatment, support families, and hopefully prevent the next tragedy. It would be incredibly unfortunate to see years of progress, established partnerships, and potentially lifesaving services jeopardized because a sustainable funding solution couldn't be reached.
We recognize that municipalities and state leaders face difficult financial decisions and competing priorities. But as these conversations continue, we encourage residents throughout Plymouth County to learn more, reach out to their local and state elected officials, and make their voices heard about the future of this program.
The opioid epidemic isn't over simply because overdose numbers are declining. In many ways, programs like PCO are part of the reason progress is being made. We shouldn't wait until these services are gone to recognize how much they matter.
We're grateful to The Boston Globe for shining a light on this work, to our partners at Plymouth County Outreach for everything they do, and especially to those in recovery who courageously share their stories. This is what community policing looks like. And it's work we're proud to be doing. Help us keep it going.
Read the Boston Globe article:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/10/07/metro/opiod-abuse-pari-treatment/
