In the aftermath of the tragic death of 13-year-old Savanah Gatchell in August, efforts are underway in some quarters of town to more aggressively address the issues of substance abuse and mental health.
Immediately following Savanah’s death, the Marblehead Counseling Center made therapists available to provide grief counseling, and it has coordinated efforts with the victim-witness division of the Essex County District Attorney’s Office to assist persons who may have been witnesses to the accident. A Marblehead juvenile has been charged with motor vehicle homicide. In this case, it is believed that alcohol played a role in the accident.
Less than four years ago, high school senior James Galante lost his life when his car veered off the causeway at 3 a.m. While authorities have never made public the reason for this crash, many suspect that alcohol was involved.
A daunting statistic for us to consider is that nearly 41% of all arrests by Marblehead Police between 2014 and 2024 were for drunkenness or driving under the influence. This leads to the question: Should we be doing more to address alcohol and substance abuse in Marblehead?
Last spring, the Mental Health Task Force, which had served under the umbrella of the Health Department, was rebranded to Marblehead Cares. As of this fall, it is associated with the Marblehead Counseling Center, according to Teri McDonough, social services director. McDonough reports that there has been a renewed interest and energy resulting from last month’s tragedy.
“There is a good collaborative spirit to address substance abuse and mental health issues by our town departments and providers,” she said.
There is a new Board of Health initiative, CAHM (Creating a Healthier Marblehead), that “has the goal of promoting better health in our town,” according to the board’s chair, Dr. Thomas Massaro. While mental health is but one component of this initiative, we applaud the board’s initiative.
According to Massaro, all residents should be receiving a postcard invitation to participate in a town-wide survey to assist the Board of Health in setting priorities and developing community-wide programs in the future to address health and wellness issues, with a final report to be published in the spring. The cost of the survey is being paid by Marblehead’s two Rotary Clubs, the Female Humane Society and The Mariner.
Board of Health member Tom McMahon, long an advocate for addressing mental health and substance abuse issues, made an impassioned presentation at a recent board meeting regarding his concerns that there has been a long-standing drinking culture in Marblehead, citing the phrase “Marblehead, a drinking town with a sailing problem.”
McMahon acknowledges he, too, had previously found this quote funny — but no longer. He calls upon everyone to pay attention to how adult behavior around alcohol is always on view to our children and how it might lead them to underestimate the risks associated with irresponsible consumption.
This past week, McMahon used social media to ask people to weigh in on the possibility of imposing a curfew for persons under the age of 18, which has stimulated a vigorous debate on both sides of this issue. We encourage McMahon to keep pushing envelopes to heighten public awareness of the need to find ways to protect and improve everyone’s mental health.
The School Committee is once again circulating its Substance Abuse and Risk Related Factors survey among high school students, the results of which will be made public next spring. In conjunction with the superintendent, they are also seeking volunteers to serve on a Health and Wellness Committee.
Finally, several local mothers and teens have come together to form MADD 4 MHD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving For Marblehead) to address drinking and driving in Marblehead.
All of these efforts are laudable, and we commend all groups and individuals who are dedicating themselves to address mental health and substance abuse in Marblehead. We encourage all town leaders and citizens to prioritize these issues.
Much needs to be done because, as McMahon says, “If we don’t take a look at ourselves and the culture we’ve created and celebrated and make some serious changes in our lives, then we’ll just keep facing periodic tragedies.”
The Current Editorial Board
The members of the Current’seditorial board are Bob Peck, chairman of the Current; Virginia Buckingham, president of the Current's board of directors; board member Brian Birke, Current editorial staff member Kris Olson, and Joseph P. Kahn, a retired Boston Globe journalist.
