BOSTON — Mental health care professionals throughout the state and Westfield’s state senator and representative are trying to push back against a proposal in Gov. Maura Healey’s fiscal 2026 budget that would strip over $80 million from essential mental health programs and could mean the closing of the only facility in the state that provides specialized care to children.
“We will close down,” said Tina Champagne, the CEO at the Northampton-based Cutchins Programs for Children & Families, who explained what would happen to the mental health facility if the proposed $15.3 million reduction in the state Department of Mental Health budget isn’t restored.
She said Cutchins has been providing a very specialized program for over 20 years for children between the ages of 6 and 12 and their families known as the Three Rivers, which is a Clinically Intensive Residential Program, located in Belchertown.
