We are pleased to announce that BHN was recently awarded a grant on behalf of The Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH) and Mass General Brigham that will facilitate student access to pediatric behavioral health urgent care. As one of five Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHC) in the state selected for the pilot program, BHN received a grant of $170,000 per year for 2.75 years ($467,500 total). Funding will be used to partner with Washington Elementary School in Springfield to help youth and families access appropriate networks of care via BHN’s CBHC linkages. 

This initiative is designed to complement and support the implementation of the EOHHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform and Children’s Mental Health Campaign (CMHC). The goals of this program are to; improve and expedite timely access by students to high-quality behavioral health care, improve outcomes for school-age children, adolescents, and their families, and to provide an effective alternative to the use of school resource officers, police, 911, and emergency rooms.