Massachusetts Civil Commitment (DPH)
| Tracking # |
BSAS-2020-30 |
| Submitted | Nov. 17, 2020 |
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Communications
From: HIJ Action Lab
To Whom It May Concern:
The Health in Justice Action Lab at Northeastern University is interested in Massachusetts’s involuntary commitment programs under ALM GL ch. 123, § 35. Specifically, we are looking for data concerning individuals civilly committed for substance use and addiction treatment, the programmatic offerings for those individuals, and Massachusetts’s response to COVID-19 in its civil commitment system.
In order to permit the public to understand how the state of Massachusetts is administering involuntary commitment, the outcomes of that program, and the impact on Massachusetts’s public health, the Health in Justice Action Lab is making this request pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 66 § 10 for the following records:
1. State-wide volume. Any record showing the number of people who were civilly committed for substance use and addiction in each year since 2015 to the latest available.
2. Demographic information. Any and all records reflecting de-identified demographic summary statistics, including (but not necessarily limited to) race, gender, age, and pregnancy status, pertaining to individuals who have been civilly committed for substance use and addiction, from 2015 to latest available.
3. Facility information. Summary statistics, reports, or relevant documentation detailing facilities that are used to house people civilly commitment for substance use and addiction, including the following information:
a. Summary of the number of individuals committed to each individual facility for substance use in each year since 2015, to latest available.
b. For each facility housing people civilly committed for substance use, summary of the number of individuals also being held on criminal charges in those same facilities
c. Which facilities employ or contract health care providers licensed to prescribe methadone and/or buprenorphine.
d. Number of individuals each facility is licensed to house.
e. State agency managing each facility housing people civilly committed for substance use disorder.
f. Any and all documentation noting the number of non-fatal and fatal overdose incidents within each facility housing people civilly committed for substance use disorder in each year since 2015.
4. Financial information. Summary statistics, reports, or relevant documentation regarding government resources or insurance funds that are used to pay for civil commitment for substance use/addiction in each year since 2015.
5. Re-entry planning. Any and all documentation regarding the re-entry planning process for people discharged from civil commitment for substance use disorder, including:
a. Overdose education and naloxone distribution
b. Linkage to treatment in the community
c. Linkage to housing in the community
d. Insurance assistance
e. Any other support or health services
6. External overdose data. Any and all documentation noting the number of overdose incidents of patients within 1 year of re-entry from civil commitment for substance use disorder/addiction in each year since 2015.
7. Mobile Pickups. Any and all documentation noting the number of patients who were arrested pursuant to a warrant and order for civil commitment in each year since 2015.
Because this request involves a matter of public concern and because it is made on behalf of a nonprofit organization, we ask that you waive any fees. If you decide not to waive fees, we request that you permit us to examine, at our election, the responsive documents before deciding which portions to transmit. We prefer the documents in electronic format.
Should you determine that some portion of the documents requested are exempt from disclosure, please release any reasonably segregable portions that are not exempt. In addition, please note the applicable statutory exemption and explain why it applies to the redacted portions. As you know, a custodian of public records shall comply with a request within 10 business days, as the statute requires after receipt.
Thank you for your assistance. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Louis Miyara
Health in Justice Action Lab
Northeastern University
From: Department of Public Health
Good afternoon Mr. Miyara,
Reaching out to confirm receipt of your public records request below. Is it possible for you and I to schedule a telephone call so we can get some clarity on the information you are seeking?
I’m available to talk after 3:00PM today, and pretty much all day this Friday (11/27). If you can provide me the best time and telephone number at which to call you, I would appreciate it.
Thank you.
Sullivan Roberts, BSBA
Director of Policy & Strategic Planning
Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Cell: 781-410-7085
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify me immediately by return email and do not copy, use, or disseminate information contained in this email.
From: Department of Public Health
Good morning Mr. Miyara,
Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. Circling back on my email below, can you please provide me the best time and telephone number to give you a call on your public records request?
Thank you.
Sullivan Roberts, BSBA
Director of Policy & Strategic Planning
Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Cell: 781-410-7085
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify me immediately by return email and do not copy, use, or disseminate information contained in this email.
From: Department of Public Health
Good morning Mr. Miyara,
Circling back on my emails below, can you please provide me the best time and telephone number to give you a call regarding your public records request?
Thank you.
Sullivan Roberts, BSBA
Director of Policy & Strategic Planning
Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Cell: 781-410-7085
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify me immediately by return email and do not copy, use, or disseminate information contained in this email.
From: Department of Public Health
Good morning Ms. Kang,
We have tried getting in touch with the Health in Justice Action Lab’s intern, Louis Miyara, who submitted the public records request in the email chain below.
However, he hasn’t gotten back to us with the best time and telephone number to have a call regarding the request, and it looks like the email address provided for replies may be a general inbox (not sure how often it’s checked).
Do you happen to have a good telephone number for Mr. Miyara that we can use to reach out regarding this records request?
Thank you.
Sullivan Roberts, BSBA
Director of Policy & Strategic Planning
Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Cell: 781-410-7085
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify me immediately by return email and do not copy, use, or disseminate information contained in this email.
From:
Hello Dr. Roberts,
Thank you for your email, I’m sorry to hear you’ve had trouble getting in
touch with us. I’ve cc’d Louis on this response, he will be following up
with you regarding the public records request.
Thank you,
Sunyou Kang
Sunyou Kang
Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, B.S. 2021
University of Southern California
(858) 366-3388
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Massachusetts Public Records Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on . Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #BSAS-2020-30.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Massachusetts Public Records Law request, copied below, and originally submitted on . Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #BSAS-2020-30.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Department of Public Health
Good morning,
Mr. Miyara provided us an extension to respond to this public records request until 1/8/21. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you.
Sullivan Roberts, BSBA
Director of Policy & Strategic Planning
Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Cell: 781-410-7085
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify me immediately by return email and do not copy, use, or disseminate information contained in this email.
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~WRD0001
From: Department of Public Health
Good afternoon Mr. Miyara,
Please find attached a letter regarding your public records request (tracking number BSAS-2020-30), documents in response to your request, and a document with information regarding public record appeals. At this time, we consider this request closed.
Thank you.
Sullivan Roberts, BSBA
Director of Policy & Strategic Planning
Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Cell: 781-410-7085
Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. This message may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, please notify me immediately by return email and do not copy, use, or disseminate information contained in this email.
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Sxn 35 FY15-20
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From: HIJ Action Lab
Hi,
Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Louis Miyara
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