b'A Look Back at the Year Riversides Expertise Sought by NCAA Division I Schools Mental health can be overlooked in the rigorous physical training regimens of college scholar- Community Behavioral Health Centers athletes, but a number of NCAA Division I schools have recognized the need and engaged Riversides Successfully Increasing Access MINDWISE INNOVATIONS to address mental well-being. MindWise visited all nine campuses in the Its been gratifying to witness the progress of the COMMUNITY America East Conference, conducting extensive training and group-specific programming forBEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER (CBHC) initiative, a new model of coaches, administrators, and student-athletes. Key topics included suicide prevention, bystander behavioral healthcare conceived by the Commonwealth of intervention, communication skills, psychological safety, coping mechanisms, and a thorough review Massachusetts to make services more accessible, comprehensive, of best practices for referrals in crisis and non-crisis situations.and streamlined.Riverside launched two new CBHCs in South County (Milford) and Norwood in January 2023 (amongInvesting in Future Clinicians through Riverside Scholars@Lesley 26 chosen by the Commonwealth across the state), offering increased access to urgent, crisis, and outpatient behavioral healthcare, primarily for members of MassHealth. Responding to a shortage of behavioral health counselors, particularly those caring for people from underserved communities, Lesley University and Riverside launched anDedicated interdisciplinary teams of clinicians, medication prescribers, peer support specialists (youth,innovative workplace development partnership called RIVERSIDE SCHOLARS@LESLEY, adult, or co-occurring disorder), care coordinators, nurses, and medical assistants address the fullwhich offers significant scholarships to students pursuing a masters degree in mental scope of an individuals unique needs.Services include same-day assessment for mental health andhealth counseling and a path to employment in Riversides extensive network of services. substance use challenges, immediate intervention and stabilization in a behavioral health crisis, timely follow-up appointments with extended hours for routine and urgent care and recovery support,Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), nurses and medical assistants to coordinate basic medical needs, and on-site laboratory services. Expanded Options for People Experiencing a Behavioral Health Crisis By December 2023, over 7,000 individuals had received care through our two CBHCsmaking a We increased our capacity to provide overnight COMMUNITY CRI-significant impact in the community and reflecting the great need for integrated, accessible SIS STABILIZATION (CCS) AND RESPITE SERVICES, which prevent behavioral health services.Among other success markers, we served significantly more children thanavoidable inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, enable people to expected (and more than ever before), increased coordination with police departments and localstay close to home in difficult times, and offer a stepdownschools, and enhanced partnerships with hospitals and other medical providers for more appropriatealternative from hospital admission for a better transition backcommunity-based treatment, lessening the stress on overextended hospitals. into the community. By opening a new state-of-the-artbuildingin Upton and a new house in Norwood, we can now serve 31 adults To underscore the impact of this new approach to behavioral healthcare, we were honored to havefor overnight care. These services are staffed 24/7 with structured 2 Governor Maura Healey (pictured left) tour the Riverside CBHC in Milford this spring, where sheprogramming such as group therapeutic support and counseling3signed a proclamation declaring May as Mental Health Awareness Month in Massachusetts! in a relaxed, non-institutional environment.'