The Boston-based nonprofit has built a collaborative network of medical experts, employers, educators, benefactors, community groups, elected officials, health care payors and, most importantly, individuals and families who have been devastated by opioid use disorder.  RIZE has invested more than $5 million in dozens of organizations and communities that are on the front lines battling this public health crisis.

 

So much progress for RIZE in just three years -- and then the coronavirus pandemic hit.  While the opioid epidemic has not disappeared in the ubiquity of COVID-19, the urgency to contain it has certainly been diminished in the public consciousness and de-prioritized in press coverage.

 

RIZE was ready to respond.  In the last few months, RIZE distributed nearly $500,000 in grants.  A  first round supported nonprofits across Massachusetts, while a  second round  went to Boston residential treatment programs and was supported by the Boston Resiliency Fund.  RIZE CEO Julie Burns was interviewed by  WBZ NewsRadio (1030 AM) twice to discuss the critical need to continue the fight against opioid use disorder during the pandemic.

 

RIZE remains relentless, and recognizes that COVID-19 is hitting people with opioid use disorder particularly hard. It is threatening their access to harm reduction or treatment services, among other risks.

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Invoice Cloud , a provider of electronic payment software solutions, enhanced its online billing platform with both Apple Pay and Google Pay, the top mobile payment options on the market.

 

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The team at Johnson Compounding & Wellness stepped up when hand sanitizer became scarce in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.  WCVB-TV Channel 5 covered their work making high-quality, medical grade hand sanitizer, which they sold to customers and donated to the community.  Later, the Waltham News Tribune featured the pharmacy's registered dietitian in a Q&A on what people can do to boost their immune systems through eating healthily.

 

 

ALEX VILLANUEVA JOINS TEAM AS ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR

 

 

Alex holds a master's degree in public relations from Boston University.  Prior to attending BU, he earned a bachelor's degree in history and political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  While in college and graduate school, he interned in several offices, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker's press office.