An update from the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum:
Join us on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at the UMass Amherst Campus Center for a forum entitled, “A Roadmap for Youth Behavioral Health in Western Massachusetts.”
Despite some successful state action, equitable access to mental health and behavioral health services continues to be a crisis in the Commonwealth. Across western Massachusetts, the youth health survey showed that almost 50 percent of 8th graders reporting alarming sustained sadness, anxiety and suicidality.
With a focus on youth, this forum will provide a roadmap to help facilitate prevention, support social emotional learning, eliminate barriers to care, and forward policy change for western Massachusetts. A presentation of the latest research from the region and action plan will be followed by a stakeholder panel discussion.
This Massachusetts Health Policy Forum is co-sponsored by the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences. It was also made possible by generous funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Baystate Health.
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Location: Campus Center Auditorium, 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003
