In the News

FITCHBURG — U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan on Wednesday celebrated the opening of a new children’s mental health center– the Community Health Connections Children’s Behavioral Health Center – for which she secured $2.5 million in funding.

“This is an easy thing for me because I’m a mom,” Trahan said. “Everything I do in Washington is through the lens of a mom.”

City and state officials joined Trahan for a ribbon cutting at the 3,800-square-foot center, located at 130 Water Street, Suite #5, and staffed with 21 clinicians serving patients in 12 behavioral health counseling rooms, three therapeutic counseling rooms, and a dedicated children’s waiting and reception area.

Community Health Connections (CHC) Marketing Manager Vanessa Perini said they welcome children ages five and up, although they have seen three- and four-year-olds on occasion, and that they get a lot of referrals from community partners including the Spanish-American Center in Leominster and school nurses.

“I look forward to seeing the tremendous benefits that the high-quality behavioral and mental health treatments offered by Community Health Connections will deliver for Massachusetts families,” Trahan said.

Mayor Sam Squailia and other local and state leaders, community members, and interested parties also attended the ribbon cutting. Squailia noted that CHC “employs over 470 dedicated professionals in five centers” and starting next week, its ACTION urgent care center located next door to the children’s center will be open seven days a week.

“We are celebrating another milestone in our community,” Squailia said of the children’s center, adding that it was “thoughtfully designed with children in mind.”

CHC President and CEO John DeMalia said “today is a great day” and praised all of the people involved in launching the center.

“You really need that initial funding…and that’s what is usually missing. We are very appreciative,” he said. “Thanks to your collective efforts, Community Health Connections has been successful.”

DeMalia said the children’s center was designed to be kid friendly and make the young clients feel comfortable at a place where “they can be heard.” He thanked all of the funders and supporters and Trahan for her commitment to CHC and healthcare, not just locally but across the state.

“It’s such a need in the community, there’s such a shortage,” he said of the number of mental health centers and providers versus the increased demand over the last several years.

Trahan said that over 2,700 appointments have been held at the children’s center so far this year and called it “an incredible return.” She spoke about the immense benefits of people not having to travel far for care and that the center “is a model for community health centers across our country.”

Trahan talked about the importance of “destigmatizing mental health care” and called state Sen. John Cronin and state Rep. Michael Kushmerek “two incredible advocates” who are her “partners and friends in this work.”

After asking the children’s center staff members who were present to raise their hands, Cronin thanked them for their meaningful work.

“You’ve made a choice to make a difference in our community,” he said.

He also thanked Trahan for her ongoing support of the people who live and work in North Central Mass, and how her tireless dedication has a “meaningful impact” in the area.

“I’m very grateful for your leadership,” he said.

Cronin spoke about the detrimental aftereffects of COVID and remote learning in youth – and how the children’s center will help to address issues stemming from that.

“There’s a lot more work to do but this is a critical piece,” he said.

Kushmerek said everyone has an “aha” moment when it comes to mental health. His came when he was caring for his aging parents for a decade. He said that they were in and out of both in and outpatient psychiatric services, “often because they did not get the preventative care they needed.”

“I hope and pray we can get there through the course of my son’s lifetime,” he said of addressing the mental health crisis.

He told the story of getting a phone call from the father of a girl who was 40 days into “boarding in an emergency room” due to mental health issues. Kushmerek said the father was so desperate to help his daughter that he started “calling his elected officials.”

“Within a few days we were able to get her into an inpatient center…[but] the underlying fact is that there are hundreds of families in ER boarding crises all across the state,” Kushmerek said.

He talked about the importance of places like the new children’s center and said “every community needs a facility like this” to help people, no matter their age, get “access to mental health treatment.”

Kushmerek labeled Trahan “the hardest working congresswoman in the United States and said, “there is no better partner in U.S. Congress.” He thanked Squailia, saying she is a “great mayor to work with,” and all of the people who are part of the “team effort” to care for the residents in the region.”

“There’s no community that does it better.”