Funding from the Healey-Driscoll Administration will support the organization's mental health initiatives for young children

Worcester, MA – October 2, 2023 – UMass Memorial Health Community Healthlink (CHL), a leading behavioral health center based in Central Massachusetts, is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the Healey-Driscoll Administration as one of six recipients of an Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Grant. The $600,000 grant will support CHL’s Together for Kids (TFK) program which advances social-emotional development and behavioral health of young children in Central Massachusetts.

“We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their commitment to early childhood mental health and for investing in programs that provide essential, holistic services to children, families, and educators,” said Lori Simkowitz-Lavigne, Vice President of CHL’s Services division. “These funds will allow us to build on our 'Together for Kids' program, which helps educators and families implement strategies that encourage appropriate social skills, strengthen home-school partnerships, and reduce suspensions and expulsions from early education and care settings.”

TFK provides mental and behavioral health consultation and care through a comprehensive promotion, prevention, and intervention model with three main components: 1) behavioral health consultation for educators and families; 2) trainings for educators and families on topics related to social-emotional health in children; and 3) referrals for more intensive services such as child/parent psychotherapy and psychological assessments. The ultimate goal is to develop a “foundation for success” for young children as they navigate family, social, and educational relationships.

TFK provides behavioral health consultation services to about 75 childcare programs in 28 cities and towns in Central Massachusetts every year. These services reach around 300 teachers in 140 classrooms and influence the classroom learning environment for approximately 2,200 children. TFK clinicians provide child and family-focused consultation services for about 175 children and families every year.

The funds provided to TFK are part of $4.1 million in Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Grants awarded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration.

For more information on CHL’s Together for Kids program, please visit https://www.communityhealthlink.org/program/together-for-kids.

About Community Healthlink
Community Healthlink is one of 25 designated Community Behavioral Health Center in Massachusetts. Community Healthlink promotes, restores, and maintains the physical health, mental health and wellbeing of more than 22,000 adults, children, and families in central Massachusetts annually. Community Healthlink is part of the UMass Memorial Health System.

About UMass Memorial Health
UMass Memorial Health is the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts with more than 16,500 employees and 2,100 physicians, many of whom are members of UMass Memorial Medical Group and Harrington Physician Services. We are the clinical partner of UMass Chan Medical School. Our comprehensive system includes UMass Memorial Medical Center, UMass Memorial Health – Harrington, UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, UMass Memorial Health – Marlborough Hospital, and UMass Memorial Health – Community Healthlink. Visit www.ummhealth.org.