BHN Youth Crisis Program in Agawam Now Open to Clients

AGAWAM — Behavioral Health Network (BHN) announced that its new Youth Community Crisis Stabilization (YCCS) program, the Village for Youth, opened to clients on Oct. 17 and is now accepting referrals to its program. In September, BHN held both a community open house for neighboring residents and a ribbon cutting at the center.

The newly developed facility, located at 830 Silver St. in Agawam, is operated in partnership with Gándara Center and provides on-site, short-term crisis stabilization, therapeutic intervention, and specialized programming in a secure site for up to 22 children and adolescents experiencing mental-health crises. The program operates specialized, physically separate, and developmentally appropriate units for younger (6-12 years) and older (13-18 years) youth.

Referrals to the Village for Youth program are accepted from any community or hospital crisis program, or from psychiatric hospitals seeking to transition a youth from hospitalization to a residential setting. The Village for Youth is a regional program, serving children referred from across Western Mass.

The youth program provides a safe environment with 24/7 supervision, intensive therapy, medication assessment and treatment, and support for families around planning for young clients to return home.

For more information about the Village for Youth program and for referrals, call (413) 301-9355. To watch a video tour of the new facility, visit www.bhninc.org/yccs-open.