- Executive Office of Health and Human Services
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Olivia James, Deputy Communications Director
BOSTON — Yesterday, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Secretary Kiame Mahaniah, MD, MBA and the Office of State Senator Lydia Edwards visited Revere High School for a roundtable discussion with staff and students taking part in a program aimed at preventing adolescent use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances.
The program serving Revere High School is one of dozens of substance use prevention and early intervention services in schools across Massachusetts recently awarded a total of $9.1 million in grants by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to help bolster targeted intervention services for middle- and high school-aged youth at risk for developing behavioral health issues or substance use challenges.
Funding supports two separate youth early intervention programs for students – the High School Co-Occurring Response Teams program ($1.9 million) for high school-aged youth, and the School- and Community-Based Targeted Intervention ($7.2 million) program that focuses on middle school-aged students.
“Given the challenges young people in Massachusetts face in regard to mental health and substance use risks, early identification and engagement is a crucial intervention, with an enormous impact,” said Secretary Mahaniah. “These investments allow schools and behavioral health organizations to work hand-in-hand to intervene at a critical time and connect youth with the services they need to thrive. We are proud to make this commitment to prevention and to a healthier future for the Commonwealth’s young people.”
“Our visit to Revere High School underscored the critical role that school-based, community-driven programming plays in supporting young people,” said Senator Edwards, State Senator for the Third Suffolk District. “The co-occurring response team is providing effective, compassionate interventions for students. It was empowering to hear students share powerful stories about the program’s value and their hope to see it expanded. I’d like to thank Secretary Mahaniah for taking the time to join us at Revere High School, and to our partners on the co-occurring response team and North Suffolk Community Services for their continued efforts in supporting Revere’s youth. We remain deeply committed to advancing initiatives that give young people the resources they need to succeed.”
Since 2021, North Suffolk Community Services, in partnership with Revere High School, has been awarded grant funding to host a High School Co-Occurring Response Team to work with students exhibiting early signs of risk related to substance/drug use and/or mental health concerns. Along with administrators and staff from the school, school district, and North Suffolk Community Services, as well as representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), representatives from Senator Edwards’ office and Secretary Mahaniah toured the school and listened as students shared how the program steered them away from substance misuse and improved their academic and personal success.
The High School Co-Occurring Response Teams initiative pairs local high schools with community-based behavioral health providers who embed a response team within the school to offer intervention, diversion (alternatives to school suspension for substance use infractions), and treatment services to enrolled students. The program primarily seeks to prevent or delay the initiation of use, or reduce the use, of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances by youth, with the additional goal of fostering an increase in participation and engagement in school, socially, as well as empowering students to develop behavioral self-regulation skills.
The latest grant award provides funding for two new locations, as well as for six existing programs already delivering these services in high schools across the state. All sites are funded through an annual contract of $185,000.
Providers were chosen for their experience in providing substance use and mental health services to youth and young adults, in addition to their dedication to racial and health equity and their ability to create timely and appropriate referral plans after program start.
High School Co-Occurring Response Teams awardees and participating schools:
- Behavioral Health Network (new)
- High School of Commerce, Springfield
- Beth Israel Lahey (new)
- Gloucester High School, Gloucester
- The Brien Center
- Pittsfield High School, Pittsfield
- Lee Middle & High School, Lee
- W.E.B. Du Bois Regional Middle School, Great Barrington
- Heywood Hospital (three contracts)
- Ralph C. Mahar Regional School, Orange
- Athol-Royalston Middle School, Athol
- Athol High School, Athol
- Gardner High School, Gardner
- Academy for Learning & Technology, Gardner
- Narraganset Regional High School, Templeton
- Murdock High School, Winchendon
- High Point Treatment Center
- New Bedford High School, New Bedford
- Institute for Health and Recovery
- Malden High School, Malden
- North Suffolk Community Services
- Revere High School, Revere
- River Valley Counseling Center
- Holyoke High School, Holyoke
The School- and Community-Based Targeted Intervention Program focuses on students in grades 4 through 12, with an emphasis on middle school-aged students who are at risk for behavioral challenges, conduct problems, early substance use, or have a history of loss of a loved one due to an overdose. Providers offer school-based services and coordinate connections to community-based behavioral health care where needed.
“By focusing on prevention and early intervention, these programs address the root causes of behavioral health challenges before they escalate,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Providing timely and caring support for young people at high-risk for drug, tobacco, and alcohol use can be foundational in helping them navigate peer pressure and other challenges that may present themselves during this incredibly vulnerable period of their lives.”
This award extends programming to eight new schools and continues funding for 21 others already participating in the program. New awardees will receive $253,000 annually for an initial two-year contract, for a total of $2 million. The organizations already providing services at the other 21 schools represent an additional $5.2 million in annual support.
“Conversations about substance use prevention go hand in hand with broader conversations about mental and behavioral health and overall wellbeing,” said BSAS Director Deirdre Calvert. “And as youth begin to establish what health and wellbeing look like and mean to them, it is critical that we offer every support possible to foster their visions for healthy presents and futures.”
School- and Community-Based Targeted Intervention Services awardees and participating schools (* indicates new contracts):
- Behavioral Health Network*
- Chestnut Middle School, Springfield
- Beth Israel Lahey Health
- O’Maley Innovation Middle School, Gloucester
- Beverly Middle School, Beverly
- The Brien Center
- Taconic High School, Pittsfield
- Drury High School, North Adams
- Reid Middle School, Pittsfield
- Center for Human Development
- West Springfield Middle School, West Springfield
- Child and Family Services
- Talbot Middle School*, Fall River
- Normandin Middle School, New Bedford
- Keith Middle School, New Bedford
- Roosevelt Middle School, New Bedford
- Father’s UpLift*
- Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School, Boston
- High Point Treatment Center
- East Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School*, East Bridgewater
- Taunton High School, Taunton
- Wareham Middle School, Wareham
- Home for Little Wanderers
- Murphy School*, Boston
- Paul A. Dever School, Boston
- Institute for Health and Recovery
- Salemwood School, Malden
- Justice Resource Institute
- Attleboro High School & Attleboro Community Academy, Attleboro
- LUK Crisis Center
- Southbridge Middle School*, Southbridge
- Murdock Middle High School *, Winchendon
- Webster Middle School, Webster
- Memorial Middle School, Fitchburg
- NFI Massachusetts Inc.*
- Consentino Middle School, Haverhill
- North Suffolk Community Services
- Browne Middle School, Chelsea
- Wright Science & Technology Academy, Chelsea
- Winthrop Middle School, Winthrop
- River Valley Counseling Center
- William R. Peck Middle School, Holyoke
- YMCA North Shore
- Positive Alternative to School Suspension, Beverly
Both early intervention programs are funded by the State Opioid Response (SOR) federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
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