Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | May 5, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 9 Notes: Central Massachusetts includes Athol Hospital, Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Milford Regional Medical Center, Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, UMass Memorial HealthAlliance- Clinton Hospital in Leominster & Clinton, and UMass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital in Southbridge. Data is for the weeks of March 24, March, 31, April 7, and April 14. Source: Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association police departments, nonprofits, schools, and housing agencies all play a part in mental health care, said Bates. "No single organization can fix this alone. We need true regional coordi- nation that includes the ability to share data, share the responsibility, where we share outcomes," he said. "e more we can work on coming together and work- ing across sectors, the better." One way the region can do this is by bolstering its co-responder models in which mental health providers accompa- ny police responding to calls for mental and behavioral health crises, said Bates. Ultimately, the goal is to enhance the region's preventative mental healthcare services, he said. ose efforts will serve to relieve strains on emergency rooms that continue to house patients needing care for acute mental health needs. "e best crisis response is one that prevents the crisis in the first place," said Bates. "We need to shi our mindset from react reaction to prevention." Open Sky has a workforce training program created in collaboration with Seven Hills: e Human Services Career Support Program began in 2022 to offer immigrants and refugees access to en- ly, they can go to a private clinic or work on one of the online providers and make $40,000 more," said Jordan. Essentially, Seven Hills is training professionals for the private industry, she said. ough Jordan is very happy for her employees who move on to lucrative opportunities, she's painfully aware of the cracks in services that remain. "e clinics that support folks on MassHealth, folks with little means, folks who are struggling with those social determinants, we don't have enough cli- nicians to meet the need," she said. "at creates wait lists. It creates barriers." Central Mass. is made up of 84 cities and towns, many of which do not have equitable access to the care available in Worcester, a city saturated with nonprof- its and hospital systems, said Charisse Murphy, executive director at Shine Ini- tiative, a Worcester nonprofit promoting youth mental health awareness. e August closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer is just one exam- ple of this, said Murphy. "When we talk about something like mental health, if there are people with brains in a particular location, they need services," said Murphy. Although the region has benefited from more remote and virtual services since the COVID pandemic, those meth- ods are oen not ideal when treating mental health needs. "ere's just a disconnect," she said. Moreover, virtual services present their own barriers; access to a phone or computer, to wifi, and to a quiet, private, and safe space to speak openly about mental health is not evenly spread, leav- ing too many in need behind, she said. Collaborative approach "We've been so used to operating in silos, and we just can't afford to do that anymore," said Jordan. Collaboration doesn't mean reinvent- ing the wheel; it can be as simple as a phone call or an email. Murphy, who has herself coordinated efforts with both Seven Hills and Open Sky, said she works with both organiza- tions from her reaching out to inquire about an available bed or by responding to their requests for specialized services. "Us as leaders in the community [need to be] aware of what programming is in the city and making sure that if things change, we know about those things," said Murphy. One way leaders can stay informed is through quarterly meetings, Murphy said. She focused the first six months of tenure as executive director going around to neighboring organizations and introducing them to what Shine does and the services it provides. "I do think that there is a level of putting your pride aside and focusing on whatever mission is core to your organi- zation," said Murphy. ese collaborative efforts are not exclusive to human services providers: ` Commercial Banking Done Differently. Bob Paulsen Commercial Banking Center Manager 100 Front Street | Worcester, MA 01608 Cell: 508.254.8582 Robert.Paulsen@RocklandTrust.com For more information, contact: Awarded as the Best Bank in the Northeast in two categories by Coalition Greenwich for U.S. Middle Market Banking, including: • Likelihood to Recommend • Overall Satisfaction Member FDIC Patients taking up ER beds while they wait The percent of emergency department beds at Central Massachusetts hospitals taken up by behavioral health patients awaiting psych evaluation and boarding is highest among the state's regions. try-level roles at both nonprofits. Collaborations like these not only tackle multiple organizations' needs at once, but they promote financial stability for individuals and families, directly affecting mental health. With limited state and federal funds, organizations can oen be pulled apart in competition for resources, instead of coming together, said Jordan. "Part of the issue is we're competing against ourselves," she said. Last year, Shine worked with the non- profit Girls Inc. of Worcester to apply for a grant to create gender-specific mental health services. In December, the two organizations were awarded a joint $50,000 grant from the Ando- ver-based ALKU Foundation, with about a quarter of it going to Girls Inc. Murphy later received feedback from ALKU, saying the fact the nonprofits were working in partnership helped them in the selection process. "Funding will come and go," she said. "Outside of the funding, I wanted people to somehow get the message that they have the power." Central Massachusetts North Shore & Greater Lowell South Shore, Cape Cod & the islands Boston suburbs Boston proper Western Massachusetts 54% 40% 32% 29% 28% 25% Percentage filled of region's staffed beds Charisse Murphy, executive director at Shine Initiative Week Percentage March 24 15% March 31 19% April 7 14% April 14 15% Patients awaiting psych evaluation In the early spring, the percentage of behav- ioral health patients in Central Massachu- setts who were awaiting psych evaluation and boarding hovered around 15%. Notes: Central Massachusetts includes Athol Hospital, Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Milford Regional Medical Center, Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital in Leominster & Clinton, and UMass Memorial Health - Harrington Hospital in Southbridge. The number of hospitals reporting each week varies and can impact the total; in Central Massachusetts, six hospitals reported data during the week of March 31 while five hospitals reported data for the other three weeks. Source: Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association W

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