Grant Partners

Bay Cove Human Services Cape Cod Emergency Services Program (CCESP) will expand behavioral health urgent care services--encompassing mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders--to difficult to reach and isolated areas of Cape Cod. The program will increase outreach efforts to support individuals with urgent crises before they become emergencies, including regular ride alongs with police departments to proactively identify emerging crises at an earlier stage and to encourage more police departments to call the ESP in at the first sign of constituent in distress. 

Brien Center will increase community-based locations with behavioral health urgent care (BHUC) and expand their operating hours, including 24/7/365 staff for BHUC. Brien Center’s BHUC program will also serve as a bridge between an individual’s emergency services assessment and the connection to outpatient services. The Center will increase its focus on working with all local police departments, the Massachusetts State Police, and other sources to encourage appropriate direct referral and transport to community-based behavioral health urgent care rather than the Emergency Department.

Community Healthlink will continue the integration of its substance use disorder program with its mental health services. The program will: implement its medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for both long and short term use; provide case management and follow-up services with clients who come to Behavioral Health and Addiction Urgent Care for either mental health or substance use disorder treatment; and continue to strengthen its collaboration with local police departments and health and human services providers.

Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (The Brien Center) offers a variety of services for people with substance use and co-occurring disorders. The Brien Center partners with Berkshire Health Systems where all psychiatric providers are contracted with the hospital system and are embedded in its programs. The Brien Center will hire a Program Manager and Care Coordinator to ensure same-day access for outpatient services and develop the capability to address urgent and emergent needs on-site.  

Lahey Health Behavioral Services (LHBS) Emergency Services Program provides rapid assessment and immediate stabilization services to people in need in the greater Lowell area. The grant will help to enhance their urgent care clinic by introducing telemedicine for real-time psychiatric prescribing, using community health workers to assist clients following an emergent or urgent evaluation, and developing an integrated HER to improve crisis treatment and follow-up planning.

Community Healthlink (CHL) in Worcester is one of only three Massachusetts Department of Public Health/Bureau of Substance and Addiction Services licensed Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers. CHL is affiliated with the UMass Memorial Health Care system, and works closely with St. Vincent Hospital’s emergency departments, and addiction treatment providers, such as Spectrum Health Systems and AdCare. CHL will restore the 24/7/365 access, and all operational enhancements that entails, and conduct an assessment of all opportunities for reimbursement. Additionally, CHL will hire a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) clinician to bridge clients, gain telemedicine capabilities, and build a team of Certified Recovery Coaches.

Clinical & Support Options, Inc. (CSO) operates an Emergency Services Program (ESP) In Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. They provide comprehensive community-based behavioral health services for adults with a range of outpatient, day treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation and care management services. The team will focus their planning year on developing a sustainable model for expanding behavioral health urgent care access to psychopharmacology, providing community-based expedited medical clearance, and enhancing ESP/urgent care and police coordination.

Boston Medical Center (BMC) has served as the lead agency for the Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) since 2003. BEST is the Metro Boston Emergency Services Program, working in collaboration with Bay Cove Human Services, North Suffolk Mental Health Association and Massachusetts General Hospital. BMC will establish an Advisory Group to work closely with a Leadership Committee to develop a master strategic work plan to address issues that will lead to the creation of an expanded behavioral health urgent care system. 

Bay Cove Human Services (Bay Cove) is the sole provider of emergency behavioral health services for all of Cape Cod, and to the Islands through partnerships with Gosnold and Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. Bay Cove will hire two new clinicians and a Certified Peer Specialist to provide wrap-around care for people with behavioral health needs. Additionally, Bay Cove will expand relationships with public and private entities that encounter people with behavioral health needs to ensure clients’ needs are met appropriately and in a timely fashion.