Grant Partners

The Family Van’s mission is to educate, counsel, and assist community members in strengthening and protecting their bodies, minds, and communities by increasing access to health care and improving the health of residents in Boston's most underserved communities. The Family Van empowers community members by improving health literacy and providing preventive screenings in a welcoming and non-judgmental environment. In 2021, The Family Van launched Healthy Roads, a program adapted from the PM+ model to reduce the stigma of mental health care while increasing access to high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive care. Healthy Roads helps those struggling with social isolation, stress, and adversity learn new coping, problem-solving, and help-seeking skills while also providing referrals to specialized care for those who are experiencing acute and severe mental health distress. As part of Advancing Community-Driven Mental Health, The Family Van will provide technical assistance to the grant partners. 

The Community Builders (TCB) is a leading nonprofit real estate developer that owns and manages more than 13,000 quality apartments. Its housing, commercial, and community program investments help make neighborhoods work for people of all incomes. TCB will provide Village Connections (the organization’s PM+ intervention program) to residents in Mashpee and Worcester; increase staff members' knowledge, comfort, and confidence in discussing mental health; and train the maintenance and property management team on the key elements of Village Connections.  

Quincy Asian Resources, Inc’s (QARI) mission is to foster and improve the social, cultural, economic, and civic lives of immigrants and their families in order to benefit their communities. QARI will provide the Life Balance program (the organization’s PM+ intervention program); increase staff members' knowledge, comfort, and confidence in discussing mental health and delivering Life Balance to members of the community and hold events to educate community members about the availability of the program.

Boston Senior Home Care (BSHC) is committed to ensuring that culturally diverse older adults and individuals with disabilities, particularly those of limited means, can remain safely in their homes with dignity and independence. BSHC will provide the Problem Management Plus (PM+) intervention to residents participating in Supporting Connections (the organization’s PM+ intervention program) and support PM+ staff to increase their knowledge, comfort, and confidence in discussing mental health and delivering Supporting Connections to BSHC residents.

Partners In Health (PIH)’s mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. PIH strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair. PIH has significant experience implementing Problem Management Plus (PM+), a psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) that non-specialists can deliver to address common mental health conditions in people affected by adversity. PIH adapted PM+ through a cross-site process and piloted it in Rwanda, Peru, Mexico, and Malawi from 2016 to 2021, and it continues to be delivered across all these settings. As part of Advancing Community-Driven Mental Health grant program, PIH will provide technical assistance to the grant partners and will provide project management for the three-year grant program.

Stavros' mission is to help persons with disabilities and Deaf people develop the tools and skills they need to take charge of their own lives. They accomplish this through programs and services designed to meet the needs of persons of any age or disability as they work to achieve the life goals that are important to them. Stavros provides services to persons that identify as having a disability and who live in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties of western Massachusetts. Stavros will work with the BCBSMA Foundation and its technical assistance partners to support community members in addressing mild mental health distress and practical problems of daily living. Stavros will implement the PM+ model to support people with disabilities who live in western Massachusetts and have difficulty getting services due to limited access to the internet and transportation.

Boston Medical Center will enhance the Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) model to improve the delivery of high-quality, culturally competent care to individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders. It seeks to strengthen the rapid assessment and treatment of individuals while providing referrals and access to appropriate services in the least restrictive environment, promoting safety and recovery, and providing medical support and triage to divert people from the emergency department and inpatient psychiatric units.

Bay Cove Human Services Cape Cod Emergency Services Program (CCESP) will expand behavioral health urgent care services--encompassing mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders--to difficult to reach and isolated areas of Cape Cod. The program will increase outreach efforts to support individuals with urgent crises before they become emergencies, including regular ride alongs with police departments to proactively identify emerging crises at an earlier stage and to encourage more police departments to call the ESP in at the first sign of constituent in distress. 

Lahey Health Behavioral Services will continue implementation of telemedicine for psychiatric prescribing and consultation to its Urgent Care Clinic; initiate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) via telepsychiatry; and implement a crisis management program to facilitate communication among members of an individual’s care team. 

Boston Medical Center will enhance the Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) model to improve the delivery of high-quality, culturally competent care to individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders. It seeks to strengthen the rapid assessment and treatment of individuals while providing referrals and access to appropriate services in the least restrictive environment, promoting safety and recovery, and providing medical support and triage to divert people from the emergency department and inpatient psychiatric units.

Bay Cove Human Services Cape Cod Emergency Services Program (CCESP) will expand behavioral health urgent care services--encompassing mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders--to difficult to reach and isolated areas of Cape Cod. The program will increase outreach efforts to support individuals with urgent crises before they become emergencies, including regular ride alongs with police departments to proactively identify emerging crises at an earlier stage and to encourage more police departments to call the ESP in at the first sign of constituent in distress. 

Lahey Health Behavioral Services will continue implementation of telemedicine for psychiatric prescribing and consultation to its Urgent Care Clinic; initiate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) via telepsychiatry; and implement a crisis management program to facilitate communication among members of an individual’s care team. 

Bay Cove Human Services Cape Cod Emergency Services Program (CCESP) will expand behavioral health urgent care services--encompassing mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders--to difficult to reach and isolated areas of Cape Cod. The program will increase outreach efforts to support individuals with urgent crises before they become emergencies, including regular ride alongs with police departments to proactively identify emerging crises at an earlier stage and to encourage more police departments to call the ESP in at the first sign of constituent in distress. 

Lahey Health Behavioral Services will continue implementation of telemedicine for psychiatric prescribing and consultation to its Urgent Care Clinic; initiate medication-assisted treatment (MAT) via telepsychiatry; and implement a crisis management program to facilitate communication among members of an individual’s care team. 

Boston Medical Center will enhance the Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) model to improve the delivery of high-quality, culturally competent care to individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders. It seeks to strengthen the rapid assessment and treatment of individuals while providing referrals and access to appropriate services in the least restrictive environment, promoting safety and recovery, and providing medical support and triage to divert people from the emergency department and inpatient psychiatric units.