It's time to build bridge from despair to recovery

Access to quality addiction care is something that should transcend race, class and gender and should be focused on improving the human condition.

Over the years I have helped family members and friends from all walks of life find the strength and resources to kick various addictions. Among them, a Vietnam War veteran who became addicted to heroin during the conflict while just trying to cope; a pregnant mother who was desperate to save her baby while struggling with a drug dependency; and even a wealthy white friend suffering with such constant pain that she popped prescription opioids like jellybeans.

All have been difficult and complicated emotional experiences for me, but — thank God — my interventions have been sporadic.

Boston is fortunate to have someone like Mayor Martin J. Walsh, himself a recovering alcoholic, leading the charge and championing a cause that he has been personally committed to and engaged in long before he was elected to the city’s top political post.

The face of addiction used to be black and brown at a time when inner-city resources were horribly lacking. Today, more white people from suburban communities are also being impacted by the scourge, presenting an opportunity for a united front.

The rebuilding of the Long Island Bridge and the establishment of a longterm recovery campus on the island for addicts and the homeless — something Walsh has made a top priority for his second term — is a solid proposal that would give addicts access to services away from the triggers that drove them to drugs in the first place.

A revived Long Island complex would be an investment toward uplifting our city at a time when the opioid epidemic is spiraling out of control.

It would be yet another tool in the war against drugs, which has already ripped apart far too many families and devastated entire communities.

It is also my hope that a new and improved facility would offer a wider range of services, including job training, to ensure that those who receive treatment there will have a clear path forward when they leave. The very successful San Francisco-based Delancey Street Foundation and Roxbury’s Haley House would be worthy models to replicate.

Fortunately for the city, this discussion is occurring at a time when billions of dollars have been earmarked for the fight.

A rebuilt Long Island Bridge, along with a new and improved treatment campus offering comprehensive and expanded recovery services, deserves our full support.