Critical Mental Health Program for Vulnerable Youth Faces Budget Cuts in Massachusetts
A vital mental health program in Massachusetts that supports children and teens with severe mental health issues could be shut down due to budget constraints. Governor Maura Healey’s budget proposal includes significant cuts, stirring concern among families, clinicians, and community organizations about the impact on vulnerable youth.
The Intensive Residential Treatment Program, which provides long-term care across 72 beds for young children and adolescents, aims to heal families as a unit. A mother whose child benefited from the program shared that it helped save her child’s life. Her child, now 25, faced suicidality, self-harm, and trauma before joining the program, where sustained support and family involvement helped stabilize their recovery. She noted that in-patient hospital stays offered only short-term stabilization, whereas the program’s extended care was crucial for lasting improvement.