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News  Massachusetts Trial Court to Launch $4M Grant to Expand Behavioral Health Services in Boston Municipal Courts

6/29/2021
  • Boston Municipal Court
  • Executive Office of the Trial Court
  • Massachusetts Court System

Media Contact   for Massachusetts Trial Court to Launch $4M Grant to Expand Behavioral Health Services in Boston Municipal Courts

Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago

What:
An online event on Wednesday, June 30, to launch the Boston Outpatient Assisted Treatment (BOAT) program, a $4 million, four-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funds will significantly expand services offered to people with serious mental health conditions who are justice-involved and need more comprehensive, intensive services than are currently available. The Massachusetts project was one of 17 selected by SAMHSA to expand Assisted Outpatient Treatment.

The BOAT grant funds a multidisciplinary care team from Boston Medical Center who will provide behavioral health services and fully integrated primary care within Boston Medical Center or one of the hospital’s 14 affiliated community health centers to 375 court-involved individuals over 4 years. BOAT patients will receive 90 days of intensive outpatient services, transition to a “stepdown” outpatient program, and then to an integrated primary care practice. Monitoring, case management and support services will continue for an average of 12 to18 months. Boston Municipal Court First Justice Kathleen Coffey will serve as the Project Director.

“We appreciate this acknowledgment by SAMHSA of the strong foundation and reputation established by the Massachusetts Trial Court to serve community members in greatest need of support services,” said Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey. “The partnership with Boston Medical Center breaks new ground in providing the first demonstration of Assisted Outpatient Treatment in Massachusetts. The grant will fund more intensive and comprehensive services than are currently available for patients with serious mental health conditions who are justice-involved.”

“We are especially proud that Massachusetts was selected as one of 17 projects funded by SAMHSA to expand the use of Assisted Outpatient Treatment particularly since Massachusetts is one of only three states that does not currently use Assisted Outpatient Treatment," said Trial Court Administrator John Bello. “Massachusetts is a national leader with its growing integration of behavioral health best practices within the judicial system.”

Who:
Event speakers will include Trial Court Chief Justice Paula M. Carey; Trial Court Administrator John Bello; Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Robert Ronquillo; Project Director and First Justice of the West Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court Kathleen Coffey; Boston Municipal Court Judge Jonathan Tynes; Leila Spencer, BOAT Project Manager, Boston Medical Center; Dr. Esteban Toledo-Carrion, Boston Medical Center Addiction Psychiatrist; Dana Pierce, Esq., Chief of District & Municipal Courts for the Suffolk County District Attorney; and Rachel Rosenberg, Esq., Mental Health Litigation Division, Committee for Public Counsel Services.

Where:
Massachusetts Trial Court’s YouTube Channel.
Direct link: https://youtu.be/dXpYlKH39oU

When:
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

Media Contact   for Massachusetts Trial Court to Launch $4M Grant to Expand Behavioral Health Services in Boston Municipal Courts

  • Boston Municipal Court 

    The Boston Municipal Court Department serves the City of Boston, and handles both criminal and civil matters.
  • Executive Office of the Trial Court 

    The Executive Office of the Trial Court facilitates communication and enables joint leadership of the Trial Court by the Chief Justice of the Trial Court and the Court Administrator.
  • Massachusetts Court System 

    The Massachusetts court system consists of the Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals Court, the Executive Office of the Trial Court, the 7 Trial Court departments, the Massachusetts Probation Service, and the Office of Jury Commissioner.
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