Making Waves –
Nov 15, 2019 – In a farewell email Monday to his State House colleagues, Coderre wrote of his “incredible opportunity working on solutions to the opioid crisis, broader mental health and addiction recovery issues, health-care policy, and so much more … It was a complete honor to work for Governor Raimondo and my fellow Rhode Islanders.”
In the email, Coderre wrote that now he will “be promoting initiatives that advance behavioral health and engaging target populations as well as developing, supporting and leading collaborative initiatives across [the Department of Health and Human Services] and other federal agencies to assure behavioral health remains a priority. I’m especially excited to be able to focus on mental health and addiction recovery 100% of my time by providing technical assistance, promoting program development, policy innovation, and system transformation.”
Coderre is not the only high-ranking SAMHSA official with Rhode Island roots. Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, the assistant secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, was chief medical officer for the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals before going to Washington.
