Former Red Sox star Bernie Carbo will speak next week at the Tabernacle to raise awareness about drug and alcohol addiction.

With opioid addiction on the rise, the head of the state Department of Public Health stopped by the Vineyard last week to shed light on her department’s efforts to respond.

A trial program has begun that offers Vineyard residents immediate access to detox services on the mainland, leaders at Community Services and the Island hospital announced this week.

Martha’s Vineyard Community Services will host a talk at the regional high school entitled Conversations that Matter – A Dialogue on Teen Substance Abuse.

Better access to detox facilities on the mainland and specially-trained recovery coaches are in the works following a public forum last June.

A large crowd gathered at the Oak Bluffs School Friday that focused on heroin addiction. The organizer was Billy Pfaff, founder of the Facebook group Heroin Is Killing My Town.

Several Islanders credit the medication known by the brand name Suboxone for successful, extended recovery from opiate addiction.

Escalating concern about the heroin epidemic, and how the Island is dealing with support for addicts and their families, was discussed.

With heroin use a rising concern on the Cape and Islands, the Penikese School has announced plans to reopen as a residential treatment center.

Islanders working to treat or prevent addiction on Martha’s Vineyard met Thursday with Cong. William Keating for a frank discussion of opiate abuse.