GPAC’s Subcommittee on Addiction Services holds inaugural meeting, establishes Mark Vander Linden as chair
- October 25, 2021
- by MGC Communications
- 0 comments
Led by Gaming Policy Advisory Committee (GPAC) Chair Meg Mainzer-Cohen, the Subcommittee on Addiction Services held its inaugural meeting in a virtual setting on October 14, 2021.
One of several subcommittees of the GPAC, the group was established to “develop recommendations for regulations to be considered by the Commission in addressing issues related to addiction services as a result of the development of gaming establishments in the Commonwealth, including, but not limited to, prevention and intervention strategies.”
Members of the Subcommittee on Addiction Services include:
– Mark Vander Linden; Director of Research and Responsible Gaming, Massachusetts Gaming Commission
– Victor Ortiz; Director of the Office of Problem Gambling Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
– Dr. Rodolfo Vega; President of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Lynn Community Health Center
– Marlene Warner; Executive Director, Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health
– Yoyo Yau; Chief Program Officer, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
“It’s such an important committee that you are all serving on,” Mainzer-Cohen told the subcommittee members during their inaugural meeting. “It does serve as a very special element to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission law and charter, so it differentiates us in so many ways.”
At the October 14 meeting, a unanimous vote appointed Mark Vander Linden as Chair of the Subcommittee on Addiction Services.
In his role, Vander Linden will lead Subcommittee on Addiction Services meetings, helping to shape the subcommittee’s agenda and the issues that the subcommittee will tackle moving forward.
“I’m honored to chair the Subcommittee on Addiction Services,” Vander Linden said. “Seeking advice from the subject matter experts represented in this group offers the MGC an opportunity to advance our work in preventing and mitigating gambling-related harm.”
For more information about the Subcommittee on Addiction Services’ first meeting and its members, click here.