Trainings

DART supports several types of training for response teams, first responders, and community stakeholders including businesses and municipal departments.

Team Training

DART provides in person and online training, co-training first responders, recovery coaches, and harm reductionists as well as community partners, to provide a shared understanding of the DART model and collaborative approach. These co-trainings are critical to provide a holistic perspective, and increase understanding of the resources (treatment, diversion, peer support, harm reduction) and obstacles related to supporting people who use drugs and their family members. They also allow the DART program response to understand and evolve based on unique community needs and capacity.

Team technical assistance

The DART Administrative team provides a hub to connect DART team members with support when they experience challenging situations in their engagement with community members impacted by substance use disorder.

Experienced DART team leads can be called on to advise and support outreach efforts for outreach in complex cases, support protocol development by first responders, and inform how to engage with community stakeholders.

Businesses

DART can provide training for community stakeholders including business, municipal partners, and community members on diverse topics including:

  • Physiology of addiction

  • Narcan administration, overdose reversal and harm reduction

  • Grief support resources

  • Recovery supports and pathways

  • Recovery supportive workplace tools and strategies

More about DART

DART operates under the umbrella of the City of Northampton Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It originated in response to the work of the Hampshire Hope coalition, a program out of the DHHS, and a regional leader in working collaboratively with community stakeholders to respond to substance use disorder.

DART is committed to continuing to convene community partners to identify how DART can best meet the needs of individual communities along with local resource providers.

DART brings a public health lens to supporting people, families and businesses impacted by addiction.

For Upcoming Events

  • Addiction 101

  • Harm reduction philosophy and practices

  • Medication for opioid use disorder, and other recovery pathways

  • Communication, stigma, and implicit bias

  • Polysubstance use

  • Narcan administration and leave behind

  • Future trainings

  • Fentanyl test strip use and leave behind

  • EMS outreach

  • Meeting the needs of diverse populations

  • Recovery coaches attend monthly training to stay current on programmatic needs, and review best practices

Topics Include:

Organizations

Specialized training for organizations such as emergency departments and behavioral health care providers.

To Request NARCAN

To request FREE Narcan from the City of Northampton

This includes an understanding of evidence-based practices, and that health outcomes can be significantly impacted by factors such as access to Narcan, harm reduction and treatment services, trauma informed practices, and stigma reduction. 

DART’s work is guided by an advisory council composed of multi-disciplinary representatives. Advisory council members provide informed perspectives based on their own lived experience, and as stakeholders who represent expressed needs within their communities.