Massachusetts to Train Social Workers to Handle Opioid Addicts

Gov. Charlie Baker has unveiled what he's calling a "first-in-the-nation set of educational core principles" for social workers on the front lines of the battle against opioid abuse, which has claimed thousands of lives in Massachusetts.

The Republican said Tuesday that nine schools of social work have agreed to use the principles in their curriculum.

He said that will help ensure that the more than 4,000 social work students enrolled in Massachusetts are equipped with the skills needed to confront the problem of addiction to opioids like heroin and fentanyl.

The agreement comes two years after Massachusetts became the first state to also require that medical and dental schools train students in substance misuse prevention.