In the News

LUK, Inc., a nonprofit social service agency in Fitchburg, was awarded $900,000 in federal funding via two federal grants by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan announced Thursday.

“Strong federal investments in mental health and substance abuse services are vitally important, especially during this difficult time. The COVID-19 pandemic has isolated so many in our community, and it has placed an incredible amount of stress on each of us. Yet, for many, reliable access to essential services for mental health and substance abuse has become more limited than ever. I’m glad that we could help deliver it so folks have access to the high quality services at LUK,” Trahan said.

LUK officials are grateful for the grant.

“We are honored and very grateful to be awarded this important funding by SAMHSA to provide behavioral health services to the families and communities of Worcester County. Both grants will allow us to provide much needed trauma informed services which given the current public health emergency are essential more than ever,” Paul Charette, LUK’s Behavioral Health Services director, said.

He said those projects include trauma informed care to children and families and training for other community providers to assist families at this time.

“We are all very aware of the impact that COVID-19 is having and can have on our physical health and our economic well-being. Sometimes we may forget that in times of stress our emotional and psychological well-being is critical to our communities being able to make it through a physical health and economic well-being crisis. The social isolation accompanying COVID-19 only compounds the challenges the people we serve face,” Charette said.

Trahan has consistently pushed for additional resources for mental health and substance abuse services during her time in Congress and has been successful in securing substantially increased funding for SAMHSA – $129 million more than fiscal 2019 – including more federal investments in its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants for states like Massachusetts.

LUK offers a diverse array of programs addressing mental and behavioral health, addiction and substance abuse prevention, trauma, and homelessness. The agency serves more than 3,700 youth, adults, and families annually, and its prevention, education, and training programs impact another 12,000 individuals.

Additionally, in response to the spread of COVID-19, LUK has taken steps to dramatically expand its telehealth services. For those who would like to know more about the services offered by LUK during this pandemic, they can find out more by visiting their website or calling 800-579-0000.