Combined organization will serve communities across eastern, central, and southeastern Massachusetts
Dedham, Mass. — Riverside Community Care and Bay State Community Services (BSCS), two nonprofit behavioral health and human services organizations, announced today that their boards of directors have approved a merger, effective January 1, 2027. The combined organization will operate under the Riverside Community Care name. The merger follows extensive discussions and due diligence by both organizations’ leaders and boards.
Riverside, based in Dedham, offers a wide range of mental healthcare, developmental and brain injury services, early childhood and youth programs, substance use treatment, suicide prevention, trauma response, and more.
Bay State Community Services, based in Quincy, serves communities throughout eastern Massachusetts through a broad range of behavioral health, substance use, peer recovery, child and family, adolescent residential, prevention, family support, and community justice programs.
The merged organization will have more than 2,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $175 million. The organizations’ service areas are adjacent, and their programs complement one another.
Bringing Riverside and BSCS together will create greater opportunities to share expertise, strengthen services, and coordinate care across a broader geographic region. It will also create a larger, more financially and operationally resilient organization at a time when community-based providers face shifting public policies, funding pressures, workforce challenges, and growing administrative requirements. Most importantly, the merger will help ensure that individuals, children, and families continue to have access to high-quality programs and services for years to come.
“Bay State Community Services is an outstanding organization with a long history of community-based services and a trusted reputation among the people and partners it serves,” said Vicker V. DiGravio III, President & CEO of Riverside Community Care. “By joining together, we are creating one organization stronger than either of us alone. Together, we can provide the best possible care for the individuals and families we serve today, and for all those who will turn to us for support in the years ahead.”
“Riverside is a leader and innovator in delivering exceptional behavioral health and human services,” said Daurice Cox, Psy.D., President & CEO of Bay State Community Services. “Both organizations are deeply committed to person-centered, trauma-informed care and to supporting people in their communities. By joining together, we can build on each organization’s strengths, expand collaboration, and better meet the evolving needs of the individuals, families, and communities we serve.”
Leadership and governance
DiGravio will continue as President & CEO of the merged organization. Cox will join Riverside’s Executive Leadership Team as Chief Clinical Officer on January 1, 2027.
Members of BSCS’s leadership team will also join Riverside, helping ensure continuity of programs, services, and community relationships. The merged organization will be governed by Riverside’s Board of Directors, which will include three members of the current BSCS Board.
Continuity of services
People served by both organizations should expect continuity in their care as the organizations come together. The merger will not result in changes to program locations, program staff, or day-to-day services on January 1. Existing referral relationships and points of contact will also remain in place. Any future changes affecting services or how partners connect with a program will be communicated directly and in advance.
Name and branding
For the next three years, programs currently operated by BSCS will continue to operate under the Bay State Community Services name, reflecting the organization’s longstanding relationships and strong identity within the communities it serves. During this transition period, branding will identify Bay State Community Services as part of Riverside Community Care.
About Riverside Community Care
Riverside Community Care is a Massachusetts-based behavioral health and human services nonprofit headquartered in Dedham. Each year, Riverside serves more than 40,000 people through 118 programs across eastern and central Massachusetts, supported by approximately 1,700 employees. Its services include mental healthcare, developmental and brain injury services, early childhood and youth programs, substance use treatment, suicide prevention, trauma response, and more. Learn more at riversidecc.org.
About Bay State Community Services
Bay State Community Services (BSCS) is a nonprofit human services agency based in Quincy, Mass., serving individuals, children, and families across the South Shore and southeastern Massachusetts. Formed in 1991 through the merger of five community-based organizations, Bay State Community Services operates 80+ programs that support individuals and families across the lifespan. Services include behavioral health, substance use, peer recovery, child and family, adolescent residential, prevention, family support, and community justice programs. Learn more at baystatecs.org.
