Ralph C. Mahar Regional School, Athol-Royalston Middle School and Athol High School are three of the seven North Quabbin public learning institutions that are benefiting from state money aimed at bolstering targeted intervention services for at-risk youth.
The Healey-Driscoll administration announced in December that it was awarding $9.1 million in grants for middle- and high school-aged youth who are at risk of developing behavioral health issues or substance use challenges. This includes three contracts with Heywood Hospital, which was once again selected for its experience in providing substance use and mental health services to youth and young adults.
Elizabeth Zielinski, superintendent of the Ralph C. Mahar Regional and Union 73 school districts, and Matthew Ehrenworth, her counterpart with the Athol-Royalston Regional School District, said their schools have a history with these state grants and that they have been enormously beneficial.
“In ARRSD, the grant is fabulous and really helps us bolster our programs, which focus on prevention and diversion,” Ehrenworth wrote in an email.
Ehrenworth said this grant enables free youth monitoring for Athol-Royalston Middle School and Athol High School students ages 10 and older, psychoeducation and behavioral support for students involved in school-based substance use incidents, as well as a 13-week therapy model that focuses on healthy coping skills, communication and reducing substance use among students ages 12 and older.
Heywood Hospital has an existing High School Co-Occurring Response Team and Ralph C. Mahar Regional, Athol-Royalston Middle and Athol High schools are three participating schools. The others are Gardner High School, the Gardner Academy for Learning & Technology, Narragansett Regional High School in Templeton and Murdock High School in Winchendon.
“Given the challenges young people in Massachusetts face in regard to mental health and substance use risks, early identification and engagement is a crucial intervention, with an enormous impact,” Kiame Mahaniah, secretary of the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. “These investments allow schools and behavioral health organizations to work hand-in-hand to intervene at a critical time and connect youth with the services they need to thrive. We are proud to make this commitment to prevention and to a healthier future for the commonwealth’s young people.”
According to information from the state, the High School Co-Occurring Response Team’s initiative pairs local high schools with community-based behavioral health providers, who embed a response team at each school to offer intervention, diversion (alternatives to school suspension for substance use infractions) and treatment services to students.
The program primarily seeks to prevent the start of use, or reduce the use, of tobacco, alcohol and drugs by youth, with the additional goal of fostering an increase in participation and engagement in school, socially, as well as empowering students to develop behavioral self-regulation skills.
The latest grant award provides funding for six existing programs that are already delivering these services in high schools across the state, as well as two new ones — Behavioral Health Network, working with the High School of Commerce in Springfield, and Beth Israel Lahey Health, working with Gloucester High School. All sites are funded through an annual contract of $185,000.
“By focusing on prevention and early intervention, these programs address the root causes of behavioral health challenges before they escalate,” Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “Providing timely and caring support for young people at high risk for drug, tobacco and alcohol use can be foundational in helping them navigate peer pressure and other challenges that may present themselves during this incredibly vulnerable period of their lives.”