SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Governor Charlie Baker announced a first-in-the-nation set of education principles for social workers, addressing addiction and opioid training at social work schools across the state.
Three of those schools are right here in western Massachusetts– Springfield College, Westfield State University, and Smith College.
Governor Baker said more than 4,000 social work students enrolled in Massachusetts will be taught skills needed to address opioid addiction.
This agreement comes two years after Massachusetts became the first state requiring medical and dental schools to train students in substance misuse prevention.
The three western Massachusetts schools join six other schools of social work across the state. Their administrations helped develop the principles, some of which include risk assessment and prevention techniques.
Springfield College already implemented the principles this past summer.
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