WEBSTER, Mass. – September 24, 2015 – Southbridge Savings Bank recently donated $20,000 to Harrington HealthCare System to help Harrington expand its behavioral health services.
The donation will go towards funding a new, 16-bed inpatient psychiatric unit at Harrington Healthcare at Webster. The 8,200-square-foot facility will focus on treating patients suffering from mental illness and substance abuse. The facility is scheduled to be opened in late 2016.
“There is no denying that a lack of resources has played a role in the rise of substance abuse in the community,” said Don Brechner, Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Harrington. “By expanding our behavioral health program, we aim to increase access to vital mental health services. Our facility in Webster will be the first inpatient unit in central and western Massachusetts to offer a specialty track that addresses both mental illness and substance abuse.”
“Substance abuse inpatient treatment centers generally do not admit a patient if they have mental health issues, even though the two illnesses tend to play off one another. This is why we feel it is so important to be able to address both issues and offer the community a comprehensive wrap-around facility and behavioral health program.”
Additionally, Harrington plans to implement a partial hospitalization program and an intensive outpatient program to ease the transition for patients back into the community.
“We are very grateful to Southbridge Savings Bank for their generous donation,” said Ed Moore, President & CEO of Harrington. “We are tackling what has become a healthcare crisis in the community, state, and country. This project is essential for local patients who currently have no choice but to travel a significant distance for care. We look forward to using this donation to fill a great community need and serve not only the Webster area but patients in the entire south central Worcester County.”
In October 2014, Harrington received approval of a Community Hospital Acceleration, Revitalization, & Transformation (CHART) investment program grant award of $3.5 million from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, with $1.4 million of the grant designated for construction of the inpatient psychiatric project.
“We are still actively fundraising in an effort to secure much-needed funds to complete the project,” said Moore.
Harrington also has a 14-bed behavioral health unit on its main campus in Southbridge, Mass.
Southbridge Savings Bank’s President and CEO Todd Tallman stated, “One of our passions is about giving back to our communities. We care about our communities and want to partner and be actively involved in order to help create an environment in which we all flourish. Everyone at Southbridge Savings Bank shares this commitment to service and strives to make life a little better for people in our area. We provide a full range of products and services to meet the needs of both individuals and businesses and proudly support the local communities where we live and work!”
Founded in 1848, Southbridge Savings Bank is a mutual savings bank that provides individuals and businesses in Central Massachusetts and Worcester with complete banking products and services. It is based in Southbridge, Mass., and currently operates nine branch offices with both a customer information center and a business banking center.
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