Posted in: Press Releases

Topics: Addiction & Substance Misuse

For immediate release

BOSTON, Mass. – The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has announced their involvement in expanding a cost-effective public health program called Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) through an advocacy and public awareness project led by the Children’s Mental Health Campaign, a coalition of more than 135 organizations dedicated to creating a system in which every child in Massachusetts receives the highest quality mental health care.

Dr. Gene Beresin and staff from The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds will be at the Massachusetts State House on May 7 at 10 a.m. as part of a legislative briefing intended to draw attention to the difficulties children and their families face in accessing mental health care, and in support of Bill 1796, an act relative to preventing adolescent substance abuse by expanding SBIRT.

The bill was presented by Representative Kay Khan of Newton and others, and is focused on preventing adolescent substance abuse through the use of school-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment techniques.

Expansion of the SBIRT program would focus on youth ages 15 to 22, and would combine the cost-effective public health approach with the power of consumer-led advocacy. The Children’s Mental Health Campaign under the leadership of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has launched a three-year project to expand prevention and early intervention of addiction in youth.

The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds is serving as the communications and educational partner for this project by creating content and podcasts around the expansion of the SBIRT program, which they will disseminate via their website, mghclaycenter.launchpaddev.com. The Clay Center’s site features a wealth of educational content in the form of blogs, audio podcasts, online videos, and interactive social media and engagement. This extensive library of content encourages resilience in individuals and families, while increasing the awareness of mental health disorders.

For media interview requests, contact Liz Jarrell, director of communications at The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, at 617-643-1590 or ejarrell@partners.org.

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Editor’s Note: Click on the link below in order to access a downloadable version of the above image.

Photo of The Clay Center staff

Caption: From right to left, Dr. Ellen Braaten, Dr. Steven Schlozman and Dr. Gene Beresin from The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds in Boston.

About The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
Based at Massachusetts General Hospital and led by a team of Harvard Medical School faculty members, The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds is a Web-based resource that educates parents and other caregivers about the psychological development and emotional well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with behavioral, emotional, and/or learning challenges. The Clay Center features the expertise of its nationally recognized doctors who create engaging and educational mental health content delivered in a wide variety of multimedia formats, including blogs, audio podcasts, online videos, interactive social media, and live online discussions. The content from The Clay Center encourages resilience in individuals and families while increasing the awareness of mental health disorders. To learn more, visit mghclaycenter.launchpaddev.com.

Media contact:
Liz Jarrell, Communications Director
The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
Work: 617-643-1590
Email: ejarrell@partners.org