State Awards $800,000 for Two Residential Treatment Facilities

BOSTON — The Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Health (DPH) announced $800,000 for two new residential treatment facilities for adolescents with co-occurring mental-health and substance-use disorders.

The grant recipients, the Center for Human Development in Chicopee and Lowell House in Reading, will provide critical residential treatment services for young people in Eastern and Western Mass., with a combined capacity of 39 treatment beds.

“These awards are part of our ongoing investment in life-saving addiction-treatment programs, especially for young people struggling with mental-health concerns and substance use,” Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said. “The supports and services offered by inpatient treatment programs can often be the most effective option for many teens dealing with addiction and their families.”

The programs are designed to reflect the developmental needs, attitudes, and interests of their adolescent populations and will provide mental-health services, help address primary health concerns, support learning skills needed to maintain recovery and transition toward more independence, and identify resources for effective after-care planning.

“DPH is committed to ensuring that adolescents receive developmentally appropriate mental-health and addiction treatment,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel said. “These treatment facilities will provide evidence-based care, intervention, and peer supports that in some cases cannot be solely provided in the teen’s home environment.”

The Center for Human Development will have a 15-bed capacity serving males ages 13 to 17, and Lowell House will have 24 beds for a gender-inclusive (co-ed) population ages 13 to 17, doubling the number of youth treatment beds in the state. Both facilities will provide supervision 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a residential setting licensed by DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services.

“This award will ensure that youths have access to the integrated mental-health and substance-use-disorder treatment they need,” said Deirdre Calvert, director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. “DPH is dedicated to supporting young people in their recovery from substance use and ensuring their access to behavioral healthcare.”