Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital selects local organizations for behavioral health funding

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital (BWFH), part of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, announced today that $4.5 million in Community Health Impact Funds has been awarded to eight organizations to support mental and behavioral health initiatives—including substance use disorder—in the Boston neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale and West Roxbury.

The BWFH campus expansion, which includes a five-story inpatient addition, consisting of 78 new inpatient beds as well as clinical support and ambulatory space, triggered this landmark investment through the Massachusetts Determination of Need (DoN) process.

“This expansion project is critical and timely for improving health outcomes,” said Anne Klibanski, MD, President and CEO, Mass General Brigham. “New and modernized inpatient beds will help alleviate some of the capacity issues experienced across our system, while the Community Health Impact Funds will channel significant support to much-needed, community-based mental health programs.”

Through a deliberative process with BWFH Community Advisory Board members, residents and stakeholders, guided by its 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, mental/behavioral health was determined to be the funding priority with a focus on three strategies: 

• Increasing the number of Community Health Workers and Recovery Coaches who represent those who are low-income, immigrants, LGBTQ, seniors, and/or from communities of color.
• Increasing access to community-based behavioral health services through partnerships with community-based organizations.
• Increasing the number of resource specialists in Boston Housing Authority properties and in the Boston Public Schools.

“We are grateful for the dedication of our Advisory and Allocation Committees,” said Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer for Mass General Brigham. “As community leaders, these committee members engaged in a thoughtful, data- and community-informed process to design strategies aimed at achieving the greatest community health equity impact in Boston.” 

The focus on substance use disorder and mental health also aligns with Mass General Brigham’s health equity priorities.

“As a part of our efforts to achieve health equity for patients and communities across our system, we have prioritized health conditions, including substance use disorder, with the greatest racial and ethnic inequities in outcomes,” said Taveras. “We look forward to partnering with the local grantees to expand the impact of these efforts.”     

Eight proposals were chosen through a widely disseminated competitive process overseen by the BWFH Allocation Committee. The proposals encompassed a wide range of upstream services and programs that impact community-based mental and behavioral health, spanning from early childhood to elder care.

“We are delighted to support these important community organizations, whose mission aligns so closely with ours, and who are a true neighborhood partner with us in improving the health and wellbeing of our community,” said Kevin Giordano, MBA, FACHE, Interim President & Chief Operating Officer of Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital.

“Congratulations to our community partners for securing this remarkable mental and behavioral health funding,” said Tracy Sylven, Mass General Brigham’s Director of Community Health for Brigham and Women’s/Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. “Based on their innovative proposals, we know that these eight organizations will make a significant impact, and we can’t wait to learn more as these programs unfold.”

The eight organizations are:

• Casserly House: Improving, expanding, and building capacity across multiple social determinants of health, including mental health, language skills, and affordable housing for immigrants and those serving this population.
• Doc Wayne’s Therapeutic Recess: Empowering students in recognizing, expressing, and managing challenging emotions during recess and beyond.
• Ethos: Training staff in mental health first aid to provide basic mental health support services for older adults in Boston Housing Authority housing sites.
• Italian Home for Children: Recruit, train, and place Behavioral Resource Specialists in local schools, focused on community members with lived experience. 
• Neighborhood Villages, Inc: Early education access to mental health consultation, educator professional development, family training and support, and resource referrals for any external mental or behavioral health needs.
• Vital CxNs: Enhancing community access to behavioral health services through mental health awareness and acceptance by demystifying mental health and addressing stigmatization in BIPOC communities facing economic and health inequities.
• William James College: Increasing resources and building capacity with English as a Second Language training specific to behavioral health, digital literacy, Community Health Worker competency and jobs focused on aiding vulnerable populations to achieve racial and ethnic health equity.
• Young Man with a Plan: Identifying young Black men aged 14-24 to make academic and social/emotional gains and access sustainable futures by strengthening critical thinking, financial literacy skills, quality partnerships, and creating a protective community.

About Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital

Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital is a 171-bed non-profit, community teaching hospital located in southwest Boston. Founded in 1900, it offers comprehensive medical, surgical, and psychiatric care as well as complete emergency, ambulatory and diagnostic services. For more information, visit www.brighamandwomensfaulkner.org.

Published 4/3/24