(6/10/2025- Agawam) Today, Senator John C. Velis hosted a roundtable with Senate President Karen E. Spilka focused on youth mental health in Western Massachusetts. During the roundtable the elected officials had the opportunity to hear personal accounts from students, parents, and faculty about a new innovative school-based behavioral health program launched in Agawam Public Schools, known as MCPAP for Schools, that has improved wait times and access to services. This roundtable comes on the heels of the Senate adopting a $500,000 amendment sponsored by Senator Velis in its’ Fiscal Year 2026 budget to continue and expand the program across the state.
The pilot program, first made possible by an amendment sponsored by Senator Velis back in 2023, is based off of the broader Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program and aims to improve access to behavioral health support services for youth by connecting available resources with individual needs through a systemic approach. Since first launching in Agawam last year, over 65 students have received services from community and telehealth providers thanks to the program, a 14% increase above the previous year.
“I was inspired by the students we met in Agawam and touched by the stories they shared. Their experiences clearly demonstrate how important programs like the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program we discussed today can be life changing, and should be available for all families, regardless of their insurance,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka. “MCPAP is providing on-site, empowering mental health support, and will help us solve the mental health crisis in young people we so desperately need to address. I am deeply grateful to Senator Velis for gathering us together, the parents and students who shared stories, and the educators and leaders in Agawam for hosting us.
“No one has been a bigger champion for access to behavioral health programs than Senate President Spilka. I am incredibly grateful that she took the time today to hear directly from those on the ground about the truly game changing work happening right here in Agawam to make sure our kids get access to support services when they need them,” shared Senator John C. Velis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery. “We know with absolute certainty that gaining access to behavioral treatment early on has lifelong benefits that allow our children to grow into thriving adults. It is my sincere hope that the MCPAP for Schools program will continue to grow and give more youth all across our state the same opportunities that our students in Agawam now have.”
With the amendment to continue funding for the MCPAP for School Program having been adopted by the Senate, it now goes before a conference committee that is working to reconcile differences between the Senate and House budgets.
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