River Valley Counseling Center Becomes Member of ServiceNet
NORTHAMPTON — Two of the Pioneer Valley’s leading nonprofit community mental healthcare providers are coming together on July 1, as River Valley Counseling Center (RVCC) becomes a member organization of ServiceNet. Since 1986, RVCC has operated under the umbrella of Valley Health Systems (VHS), which includes Holyoke Medical Center, Holyoke Medical Group, and Holyoke VNA Hospice Life Care.
“As we looked at the growing mental healthcare needs of our population over the next several years, we realized it was time to consider affiliating with an organization whose mission and service lines are specifically aligned with our own,” said Rosemarie Ansel, executive director of River Valley Counseling Center. “We already knew ServiceNet well and, through this closer relationship, will expand our ability to reach more individuals throughout Western Massachusetts.”
River Valley Counseling Center, established in 1953, employs approximately 350 staff who provide mental health treatment in Hampden and Hampshire counties. These include outpatient clinics in Holyoke, Chicopee, Easthampton, Springfield, and Westfield; services for students in dozens of schools and universities throughout the region; and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides in-person support to many local municipalities and businesses.
ServiceNet, which had its start in 1965 when mental healthcare began shifting away from the Northampton State Hospital, now employs more than 2,500 staff in a variety of residential support and clinical programs, including outpatient clinics in Northampton, Greenfield, Holyoke, Amherst, and Pittsfield, and the PREP program in Holyoke for young people who have experienced psychosis.
With ServiceNet becoming the new umbrella agency for River Valley, it will provide administrative support for RVCC and identify opportunities to further collaborate.
“Each of us will offer greater access to mental health treatment for the people we serve, sharing our knowledge and infrastructure as well as our values,” said Bruno Calouro, president and CEO of ServiceNet. “And in the constantly changing landscape of mental health funding, this new affiliation will help assure greater stability for the programs our communities rely on.”
Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, noted that RVCC’s transition of membership from VHS to ServiceNet will enable all the entities to focus on what they do best and strengthen the core services they provide.
“Valley Health Systems is proud to have developed and supported River Valley Counseling Center and the success the organization has achieved in meeting the growing mental health needs of our community,” Hatiras said. “We look forward to expanding the collaboration opportunities we have with both River Valley Counseling Center and ServiceNet.”