Special to the Transcript
Health Director Meredith Hurley is pleased to announce that the Winthrop Department of Public Health and Clinical Services (WDPW&CS) has been awarded more than half a million dollars in grant funding to address youth mental health in the coming years.
The $571,932 grant was provided by the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds (MACHHA) and will be distributed to the Winthrop Health Department over a three-year period.
The goal of the MACHHA is to work with community partners to disrupt barriers to health, increase awareness and address the impact of structural racism on population health, and create long-term, meaningful changes in population health outcomes.
WDPW&CS will use the funds for three initiatives, including hiring a youth social worker who will provide direct clinical services to youths in need in Winthrop. Additionally, the department will create a youth mental health workgroup in partnership with Winthrop Community Actions for Safe Alternatives (CASA) in order to develop a program tailored to the community’s needs, guided by input from community members.
WDPW&CS will increase the amount of training staff receive regarding mental health needs recognition and referrals to services.
Over the summer, WDPW&CS conducted a community health needs assessment survey, during which a third of respondents indicated that cost and insurance coverage were the primary barriers to access for those seeking mental health care. Approximately one in four respondents also indicated the availability of providers and the wait time to see a provider as barriers as well.
“With this funding, the Winthrop Department of Public Health and Clinical Services will work to change current policies, systems and environmental factors that create obstacles for youth to access mental health care. The challenges of stigma, mistrust and resource distribution contribute to health inequities and increase opposition when trying to connect youth to behavioral health resources, especially in our most vulnerable populations. In addition, a lack of providers is creating long wait lists for clinical services,” Hurley said. “We will work to build a youth-focused system of care where young people can receive clinical and case management services regardless of insurance. We plan to create a network of providers and work together to advocate against the systematic failures in our insurance structure that create extreme barriers to service for our most vulnerable youth. Lastly, the WDPH&CS will partner with CASA to implement a youth lead social norms campaign around the importance of seeking help when needed as a way to combat stigma.”
The Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds were created in January 2017 when the Department of Public Health (DPH) completed a landmark revision of its Determination of Need (DoN) regulation, which authorized the creation of these Funds. DPH provides overall guidance to the Funds and Health Resources in Action, Inc. acts as a trustee and implementing partner. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) partners with DPH to support the Healthy Aging Fund.