COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133-1053

Senator Joan B. Lovely
State Senator
2nd Essex District
Phone: (617) 722-1410
Email: joan.lovely@masenate.gov

PRESS RELEASE:

Monday, August 19, 2013

SENATOR LOVELY TOURS MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES IN WORCESTER AND BRIGHTON

(Boston) Today Senator Joan Lovely, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, toured two mental health facilities across the state. She began her day in Worcester, where she visited the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, and then continued on to Brighton, where she toured the inpatient mental health unit at the Franciscan Hospital for Children. Senator Lovely toured the facilities and spoke with staff as part of her ongoing committee work.

“I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to conduct site visits to these care facilities,” said Senator Lovely. “There really isn’t a substitute for seeing the work of mental health providers in our state, and I’m grateful that they took the time to guide me through. I saw a variety of inpatient psychiatric units and spoke with both administrative and caregiving personnel. As always, conversations with those on the front lines of our state’s health care system help to inform the policy work of the Legislature.”

Opened in August 2012, the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital is a new state-of-the-art inpatient mental health facility. The Center is part of the continuum of care offered by the state Department of Mental Health, and is able to service 260 adults and 60 adolescents from across Massachusetts. The Center is dedicated to providing a route to recovery for all admitted patients.

The Franciscan Hospital for Children, a national leader in pediatric care for special needs, first opened its inpatient mental health unit for children and adolescents in 1997. The unit provides a multidisciplinary approach to crisis assessment and stabilization.

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