Trendline shares Wellesley health assessment tied to opioid settlement spending

WELLESLEY — March 23, 2026 — Wellesley consultants flag mental health and substance use as linked community priorities. Trendline principals Michael and Kendall presented preliminary results from an 11-month community health needs assessment at a March 23 forum convened by Director of Public Health Leonard Izzo, who said the work is required to support the town's opioid settlement expenditures. Michael said roughly 10 percent of survey respondents reported that they or someone they know had been affected by substance use in the past year, and that seniors ranked housing among their top concerns. He told residents the firm draws on CDC, state DPH and DMH data alongside local police, college and hospital sources to get "as holistic a view of a community as we possibly can." Kendall began detailing requests for counseling, therapy, support groups, stress management and crisis intervention.