Harold Grinspoon Scholarships Provide Access to Austen Riggs Center Treatment Program
STOCKBRIDGE — Six months after philanthropist Harold Grinspoon provided a landmark matching gift to create a patient aid fund, that support has enabled nearly a dozen young adults in Massachusetts to access mental health treatment from the Austen Riggs Center’s online Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).
The Harold Grinspoon IOP Patient Aid Fund began in November 2024, when Grinspoon gifted $250,000 to the center. His financial support, which Riggs is matching, provides up to 13 weeks of treatment to individuals who qualify for MassHealth or who do not have an out-of-network benefit.
To date, 11 patients from four counties (Barnstable, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Middlesex) have used the assistance to participate in the program.
“Many young adults go without the treatment they need because they lack insurance or have restrictive plans that bring them costs without suitable benefits,” said Spencer Biel, online IOP director. “The Grinspoon fund is bridging this gap to help deliver outstanding, tailored clinical care to these individuals.”
Established in 2021, the online IOP provides key elements of Riggs’ residential treatment program to patients ages 18-30 who live throughout Massachusetts. Riggs’ approach is centered on psychodynamic psychotherapy, in which the patient works to develop enough perspective on their painful past experiences so that they don’t allow those experiences to dominate their lives and are freer to make their own choices.
Since its founding, the online program has treated 124 patients, 47% of whom identified as BIPOC and/or gender diverse. Additionally, 62% of all patients identified as needing financial aid, and 56% of college students identified as needing financial aid.
The online IOP features nine hours of group meetings and two hours of individual psychotherapy with a doctoral-level clinician each week. In addition, it offers medication management, family therapy, and coordination with other health resources, all of which are integrated in thrice-weekly, multi-disciplinary team meetings.
Without Grinspoon’s matching gift, Riggs’ online IOP costs approximately $2,400 per week per patient. Nearly all those seeking treatment lack private resources to support access to the program, and approximately 15% do not have applicable insurance coverage. (The online IOP is in-network with Wellpoint and Evernorth Behavioral Health and works with other providers on an out-of-network basis.)
“I am pleased to see the impact this aid is having on individuals, as well as in helping to expand the use of psychotherapy, which I have benefited from personally,” Grinspoon said. “I am encouraged by these initial results and hope more young adults can take advantage of this type of treatment.”
Some 40% of the online IOP patients have a history of prior hospitalization, and many have been compelled to drop out of college or halt their careers due to their mental health challenges. Patient surveys have charted significant improvements among respondents, with 95% indicating their behavior has changed for the better, 93% reporting having benefited from their treatment in the online IOP, 98% feeling interpersonally connected with their therapists via Zoom, and 97% feeling cared for by their peers. Some 88% of patients who responded to surveys about their healthcare upon discharge from the online IOP said they went to a lower level of care after treatment.