2018-03-22 JM BOS-SC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Joint Selectmen and School Committee Page 2 of 8 towns’ mental health services will be presented by Lexington’s Human Services department. Ms. Interess, Assistant Director of Senior Services, reminded participants about the four components of mental health program delivery: identification; prevention; intervention and post- vention. These phases are not linear. Town and School staff, plus community providers and community stakeholders, may become involved in any or all phases. Ms. Interess then introduced the four outside service providers. The providers were chosen because they work with diverse populations and age groups and have experience with multiple collaborators and funding sources, including Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of Public Health (DPH), and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (DOEA). The presenters were asked to answer the three questions in their presentations: 1) Discuss the role of your agency on the Lexington community; 2) Identify trends of mental health and wellness that your agency is noticing and/or addressing; 3) Where are the gaps in services? Larry Berkowitz, Director/Co-founder of Riverside Trauma Center said that Riverside Trauma Center is a service of Riverside Community Care, a large health and human services agency with about 100 in-patient and out-patient programs across the state and the age spectrum. The Trauma Center opened 15 years ago and expanded 3 years later with funding for suicide prevention from the State departments of Mental Health and Public Health. The Center is designed to respond to tragic events, such as natural disasters, suicides, and the Boston Marathon bombing. Riverside provides outreach, consultation, education, and support for communities to recover from traumatic events; it specializes in what Mr. Berkowitz called “healthy grieving” and post-vention stabilization. Staff and Community stakeholders work directly with Riverside staff. 1) Lexington role: Riverside was called in to help Lexington in the post-vention stages of the teen suicides last year. The Center’s intent is to stay involved for several years after such events, rather than “parachuting in” for brief periods. 2) General trends noted: Mr. Berkowitz said that suicides clusters can occur in all age groups but are seen particularly among teens. Nationally, the highest rates of suicide are th among older white men. Massachusetts ranks 48 in the nation for suicides and has some of the highest per capita funding for prevention. It is common to observe increased rates of depression, suicide ideation, and anxiety after suicides. There is not a lot of research regarding best practices for post-suicide recovery; the most recent CDC recommendations were published in 1988. 3) Gaps: The CDC recommends, and Mr. Berkowitz supports, forming community-based coalitions to address mental health and wellness issues, including suicide prevention, pulling in as many different people and age groups as possible. The best outcomes are