Breakout Session: How the CORI Second Level Review Process Can Support Hiring People with Lived Experience

Moderated by: Deirdre Calvert, LICSW (Director, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. Boston, MA.) 

Panelists: Alexandria Kearns (Program Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. Boston, MA.) 

Audrey Clairmont (Chief Operating Officer, North Suffolk Community Services. Boston, MA.) 

John Sanchez (Recovery Coach, North Suffolk Community Services, Boston MA) 

Desiree Pelletier (Program Director, Behavioral Health Network. Springfield, MA.) 

Claudia Muradian-Brubach, MBA (Total Rewards Director, Behavioral Health Network) 

Summary: Despite ongoing workforce shortages and overwhelming evidence that hiring individuals with lived experience improves patient care and outcomes, individuals with lived experience — and hiring managers — often face hiring challenges due to their criminal offender record information (CORI). This panel will shed light on the commonwealth’s second-level CORI review waiver process including the required steps involved. It will also provide an employer’s perspective on this process and highlight the experience of individuals with lived experience who have been impacted by CORIs.