In full transparency, the following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media.
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FRAMINGHAM – Following Senate President Karen Spilka’s endorsement of Maura Healey for Governor last week, the two visited Wayside Youth & Family Support Network and Tempo Young Adult Resource Center in Framingham on Wednesday. They were joined by Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky and State Representatives David Paul Linsky (D-5th Middlesex) and Jack Patrick Lewis (D-7th Middlesex), who also endorsed Healey for Governor.
The officials held a roundtable with Wayside and Tempo providers and clients and toured the facility. They heard from staff about the high need for services that existed before COVID and increased during the years of the pandemic. They highlighted the challenges of keeping up with rising demand and hiring and retaining qualified providers. Clients, who are primarily between the ages of 18-25, spoke about the difficulties they faced trying to access quality, affordable and timely mental health care.
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Following the visit, Healey and Spilka outlined their commitment to investing in mental health care services across Massachusetts. Last week, the pair published an op-ed in the Metrowest Daily News on the topic.
“What we heard from providers and clients at Wayside today aligns with what we’ve been hearing in communities across the state – we are in a mental health crisis. We don’t have enough qualified providers to meet skyrocketing demand, the providers we do have are overworked and underpaid, and residents who need help are forced to jump through hoops and endure long wait times to access care,” said Healey. “It’s long past time that we prioritize mental health care and recognize it for what it is – an essential component of our health care system. As Governor, I look forward to partnering with our state legislature, municipal leaders, and providers to finally fix our broken mental health care system.”
“I was proud to bring Maura Healey to Wayside’s Tempo program today, an incredible community resource that has helped countless young people and families throughout MetroWest,” said Senate President Spilka. “Today we again saw Maura’s deep compassion, how she listens and hears, particularly with young people, and how she will lead as our Governor. I look forward to continuing to partner with her to confront the mental health crisis and move forward on the issues impacting Massachusetts families.”
“On behalf of Wayside, I would like to thank Attorney General Healey and Senate President Spilka for their ongoing support and commitment to the behavioral health needs of residents in the Commonwealth,” said Sara McCabe, LICSW, Chief Operating Officer of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network. “Like many other providers, Wayside is seeing a significant increase in the need for behavioral health services across the communities we serve. This increase, coupled with the current workforce shortage, is placing more youth, young adults and their families at even greater risk. We ask that all elected leaders urgently prioritize and work with trade organizations such as Association for Behavioral Healthcare and The Children’s League of Massachusetts on a multilayered approach in order to create sustainable change to a growing concern. “
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Mayor Charlie Sisitsky and Representative Linsky also announced their endorsements of Maura Healey for Governor on Wednesday. State Representative Jack Patrick Lewis had previously endorsed Healey.
“Framingham residents deserve a Governor who will build bridges between municipal and state leaders – and between communities and their elected officials. I’m confident that Maura Healey is the best person to do that. Her record of bringing people together and delivering results is clear,” said Mayor Sisitsky. “I’m proud to support her and welcome her to Framingham today, where she demonstrated her commitment to our children and families.”
“Maura Healey is the leader we need to bring people together and tackle the most pressing issues facing Massachusetts residents – from affordability to gun violence to the mental health crisis,” said Representative Linsky. “I’m proud to endorse her for Governor and to stand with her today in Framingham to shine a light on the need for increased resources to support local mental health providers and ensure community members can access the care they need.”
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“I’m proud to endorse Maura Healey for governor because I know that she will continue to advocate for and defend MetroWest families,” said Representative Lewis. “Her commitment to combating the mental health crisis that is impacting many area residents is just one example of how she leads with empathy and compassion – and we know she delivers results. I look forward to partnering with her and the Legislature to continue to build on the investments we have made in our mental health care system.”
Behavioral health care has been an essential component of Healey’s tenure as Attorney General. She brokered groundbreaking agreements to enforce behavioral health parity laws and expand access to care for over 1 million Massachusetts residents. Her lawsuits against opioid companies will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to go toward education, prevention, treatment, and recovery services. She has also directed her office to address youth mental health issues through several education programs, including her initiative with Sandy Hook Promise to reduce social isolation in over 50 school districts and Project Here, which equips educators with substance use prevention resources to empower students to make healthy decisions. She’s testified in support of greater investments in behavioral health care.
Behavioral health will remain a central focus of her campaign for Governor. Read more about Healey’s agenda for health care and behavioral health care here.
Wayside Youth & Family Support Network provides a wide variety of mental health counseling and family support services to children, young adults and families in Massachusetts (see service map below). Wayside works with families under significant stress due to mental illness, behavioral problems, addiction issues and other challenges. They also support youth who have experienced abuse, neglect and trauma. Wayside’s mission is: “Empowering children, young adults and families to achieve greater independence and emotional well-being.”
Tempo Young Adult Resource Center, a program of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, is a one-stop resource center for youth ages 16-25 who are homeless, have mental health or substance abuse issues, are in recovery and/or in need of family/ caregiver support. Tempo focuses on helping young adults achieve goals such as finishing school, obtaining a job, applying for college, becoming role models in their communities, and finding permanent housing.
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MetroWest Medical Center