ACTON, Mass., January 21, 2022 – Acton-Boxborough United Way has been awarded $64,000 from Emerson Hospital to implement its three-year Community Mental Health Resilience Plan.
Acton-Boxborough United Way envisions a community where residents recognize the importance of prioritizing mental health, know where to turn for resources, and enjoy regular programming to promote well-being among all neighbors.
Developed in the spring of 2021, Acton-Boxborough United Way’s 3-Year Strategic Roadmap, Thrive2024, names mental health as one of its key priorities. Acton-Boxborough United Way will convene a Mental Health Collaborative to undertake a community-centric Assessment focused on resilience and to conduct an innovative, free “21-Day Mental Health Challenge”. With the support of a grant from Emerson, each of the three project components - Collaborative, Assessment, and Challenge - will be scalable across Middlesex County.
To continue its focus on expanding access to mental health care for the community, Emerson Hospital named three local grant recipients to address the needs of residents in its service area. In addition to Acton-Boxborough United Way, Elder Services of Merrimack Valley-North Shore and First Connections will receive funds from Emerson over the next three years to improve the accessibility of mental health services for residents. The recipients collectively represent the entire life span and were chosen among 18 applicants from a request for proposal process held during the Fall 2021.
Mental health care was identified as a critical need across all ages, income levels, and racial/ethnic groups in Emerson’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment (www.emersonhospital.org/chna). “The pandemic significantly exacerbated the need for mental health support for people of all ages. Core to our mission of providing care to residents in our community, we are pleased to partner with these innovative organizations to make mental health care more accessible to all,” said Christine Schuster, RN, MBA, President and CEO, Emerson Hospital.
Funding for the grants is stipulated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health based on the capital investment of Emerson’s new Digestive Health Center that is expected to open this Spring. For more information, please visit www.emersonhospital.org/community-programs. For mental health resources in the community, visit www.emersonhospital.org/mentalhealthresources.
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Emerson Hospital is a multi-site health system headquartered in Concord, Mass., with additional facilities in Sudbury, Groton and Westford, and urgent care centers in Hudson and Littleton. The 179-bed hospital provides advanced medical services to more than 300,000 individuals in 25 towns. To learn more, visit www.emersonhospital.org.
Acton-Boxborough United Way (ABUW) is a nonprofit organization serving the residents of Acton and Boxborough. Its mission is to mobilize the caring power of community to drive positive, lasting change. By focusing on the impact areas of mental health, financial stability, early childhood success, equity and racial justice, and crisis preparedness, ABUW seeks to foster a community where everyone belongs and can thrive. Learn more at abuw.org.