Project LAUNCH promotes the wellness of young children, age birth to eight years. Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Massachusetts LAUNCH grant partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission to develop and implement a model for integrating Early Childhood Mental Health promotion and prevention practices. Piloted in three primary care sites in Boston, the Massachusetts LAUNCH model includes an early childhood mental health clinician and a family partner with lived experience embedded in the primary care clinic. This team works together to assess and support families with children who are identified by primary care providers as showing early signs of social and emotional difficulties or who experience risk factors known to lead to poor social and emotional development outcomes. Based on the success of this model, MDPH was awarded a four-year LAUNCH Expansion grant in 2015.
The Massachusetts LAUNCH Expansion includes 3 primary care sites across the state:
- Springfield: Baystate High Street Health Center
- Worcester Family Health Center
- Boston: South End Community Health Center
View more information on Massachusetts LAUNCH partnership activities.