Over a dozen speakers, including staff members, supporters, and politicians, spoke at the protest, listing the union’s demands for the new contract, including “humane treatment during layoffs and people to have the option to return.”
“We need leadership that fights for us and for our mission and our patients, like we and our patients do every day,” said Claudia Lopez, a unionized employee at BHCHP, who read the demands at the event.
David Reyes, 61, has worked for the program for 17 years, and his job is one of the casualties of the cuts. His last day, he said, will be Oct. 10. Reyes benefited from sobriety programs himself over 20 years ago, and then went back to school to learn about addiction recovery before joining BHCHP to provide the care he knows is crucial in helping people overcome addiction.
Reyes’s personal journey allows him to connect deeply with patients he meets every day.
Andre Groomes, 43, of Dorchester, is a certified recovery coach who “wears a lot of hats” at his job, he said. Like Reyes, Groomes was laid off and has not received any information about severance or support, he said.
“I’m definitely one of the people who worked here, that’s definitely for the people. I’m not here to win an award,” Groomes said. “There [are] a lot of people that I have special relationships with that I bonded with, and just seeing them today, it really, really made me emotional. I started crying. And because I really love what I do.”
Stacey Arroyo, 41, and her husband, Fernando Arroyo, 50, worked with Groomes for many years and said they have built up a strong bond of trust during that time. Groomes would visit jails to speak with inmates and start them on the road to recovery early on.
“I met [Groomes] in jail years ago, and I never broke ties,” Fernando said.
Stacey and Fernando are three and four years sober, respectively, and they credit much of their recovery to BHCHP staff.
“Whenever I needed them, I called, they never went to voicemail, never not answering anytime I needed,” Fernando said.
When he heard that Groomes was being let go, Fernando “started bawling,” he said.
“This is our second home,” Stacey said, tearing up. “What are we supposed to do now?”
The program’s leadership declined an interview request about the causes and impacts of the cuts but released a statement.
“We fully respect the rights of our unionized colleagues to express their concerns, and we remain committed to bargaining with our union in good faith to reach agreement on an initial collective bargaining agreement.
BHCHP is confronting one of the most difficult financial periods in our 40-year history. For the first time, we have had to make the painful decision to eliminate some positions. These decisions were made only after a thorough review and with deep appreciation for the dedication and service of the affected staff,” they said.