SAFE's Adolescent Wellness Center Receives Grant from Community Health Systems

SAFE Coalition was awarded a $25,000 grant from Community Health Systems Foundation to break ground on its Adolescent Wellness Center.  

The Adolescent Wellness Center will be a central space for teens across southeastern Massachusetts to access resources that combat substance use and mental illness. Built inside SAFE HQ in Franklin, the Center will offer a fully dedicated spot for teens-only support. The space will host larger events, small-group learning, and private consultation as well as educational nights for area caregivers.  

The Center is designed to directly address the high rates of mental illness and substance use among teens. Research shows that offering teens neutral social spaces, like the Adolescent Wellness Center, is essential to maintaining a sense of wellbeing and community. Such spaces decrease social isolation and build a psychological sense of belonging. Regular visitors to these places report better overall mental health.

The space will offer drop-in hours, referral services, mentorships, peer groups, classes and more. Events like drama therapy, sobriety nights, and trauma-informed yoga will offer more ways to play, cope, and grow. 

Supports will also be available for education, prevention and recovery from substance use. The Center will offer programs to help students build resiliency to combat the perceived need for substance use, while support groups and peer mentorship will give teens added ways to be heard, gain advice, and belong. Recovery plans, referral services, and accountability check-ins will offer additional touchpoints. 

The need for teen mental health and substance use support is greater than ever. Rates of teen depression and anxiety have remained high since 2020 and remain one of the Surgeon General’s top priorities. And teen overdose is at an all-time high, while the prevalence of vaping and other substance use persists.  

Yet in-school and extracurricular programs across the region have shuttered due to cuts in school spending despite their success in preventing teen isolation, increasing touchpoints with supportive adults, and building self-esteem. Community-led programs are helping to close a critical gap in support by offering judgement-free, compassionate care to teens who need it most.

Community Health Systems (CHS) was established in 1994 to support nonprofit organizations that enhance the community’s capacity to achieve optimal health, wellness, and quality of life.  

SAFE began in 2015 after a community discussion on the increasing deaths from opioid use and what could be done to combat the rising epidemic. Today, the nonprofit works with first responders, local and state politicians, municipalities, schools, other nonprofits, and concerned citizens across southeastern Massachusetts to fill gaps in substance use prevention and education, harm reduction, recovery, and mental health support.  

Learn more about SAFE Coalition.

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