I hope you’ve all been enjoying the sunshine this week.
I started off the week with a tour of the Kiva Center over in Worcester with my fellow committee members from the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery on Monday. Kiva is a peer respite center which is a short-term, non-clinical, community-based program for those experiencing mental health issues. Centers such as these serve as an alternative to a more traditional hospital setting which would require long-term admission. Thank you to Kiva for giving us the tour and I look forward to continuing the work to expand mental health services for all as we move through the legislative session.
This week I had a great time connecting with youth and young adults throughout our district. On Tuesday evening, I had the honor of speaking to the Student Government Association over at Westfield State University. These young leaders asked me questions about some of the most pressing issues facing the commonwealth. Later in the week, I joined the Westfield Middle School and Stefanik Elementary School to celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees in their school yards in celebration. I am particularly excited for Westfield Middle School, who received a grant to plant over 50 trees throughout the property.
