Being Better Neighbors on Albany Street.

The School of Public Health is part of an incredibly diverse neighborhood filled with students, faculty, staff, and alumni dedicated to helping those in need overcome the challenges they may face on a daily basis.

Like many other communities across the country, our neighborhood is struggling with the short and long-term effects of the opioid crisis. Branded in the media as  “Methadone Mile,” this area in the South End is often portrayed with dehumanizing language and images.

At SPH and at the Activist Lab, we know a different story. We see a story filled with recovery, resilience, and amazing people.

The Activist Lab has served as a catalyst for the SPH community to engage directly with members of the community through programs, initiatives, and activities that offer practical and sustainable solutions to these real-life public health challenges. In 2016, the Lab established the Life on Albany (LOA) Committee, bringing together diverse perspectives across the Boston University Medical Campus to discuss how SPH can fulfill its responsibility as an academic and public health institution to engage and empower the surrounding community.

In the years since it launched, the committee has developed campus-wide initiatives that address substance use disorders and the often co-occurring issues of homelessness and mental illness. Members plan ongoing meetings, activities, events, and projects within and beyond SPH to build awareness of these challenges, break down the accompanying stigmas, and create actionable change to improve these health issues.

One of its most visible initiatives is the Water Squad, a summer program in which BUMC students, faculty, and staff connect with our neighbors and distribute water on Albany Street from June through September.

“The Water Squad is one of the Activist Lab’s most popular activities because it’s so simple, and yet so powerful,” says Harold Cox, associate dean for public health practice. “Handing out bottles of water creates an opportunity for connection—a momentary relationship, between the giver and the receiver. It also enables people who may feel uncomfortable interacting with someone who is experiencing homelessness or substance use issues to overcome that discomfort.”

The LOA Committee also spearheaded the Life on Albany Gallery, an ongoing photographic project that aims to quell stigmatizing narratives by showing the faces of people struggling with substance misuse, mental illness, and homelessness.

Building awareness and reducing stigmas are necessary long-term strategies to address these challenges, but immediate responses are also critical. NARCAN training has been incorporated into the Leadership and Management core course of the MPH program.

In October 2017, the Activist Lab partnered with the City of Boston to unveil a mural by artist and South End resident Timothy McCool on the Finland Building, which houses Boston Public Health Commission’s addiction services.

Why a mural? Because creating a social space where everyone in the community feels welcome is an important step in promoting social wellbeing and health. The project was a partnership with BPHC, the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.

“This mural helped to challenge the “Methadone Mile” stereotype,” says Emily Barbo, communications manager for the Activist Lab. “There is beauty here. All you have to do is stop and look for it.”

Last year, alum Abigal Kim (SPH’18) partnered with Supervised Injection Facility Massachusetts Now (SIFMA Now) to organize a Mock Safe Injection Site (SIS) for the local community. These sites provide substance treatment plans, medical support, and assistance in the event of an overdose.

And in April, the Activist Lab collaborated with Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, BPHC, the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to create Boston’s first Needle Take-Back Day, during which SPH students and other volunteers assisted local community health centers in educating their clients about safe sharps disposal practices.

Barbo says the Activist Lab is continuing its efforts to tackle the opioid crisis and its effects, and have welcomed second-year MPH student Tae-In Lee as a Fellow to help achieve these goals this fall.

“Just like the work of the neighborhood we serve, the Activist Lab and Life on Albany Street Committee is continuing to grow, change, and evolve,” she says. “Tae-In will bring together resources, ideas, and people from across the MED Campus to create change and drive impact.”

The goal of this work is to increase awareness and improve the realities of life on Albany Street with the safety and respect that the community deserves.

—Ryan O’Dea

Ryan O’Dea is a first-year MPH student and the Student Engagement Intern at the Activist Lab.