What’s New at Wayside?

In 1977, Wayside first opened its doors as one of New England’s first emergency shelters for runaway teens. We will be marking this historic milestone with stories, events and celebrations throughout the year. Stay tuned for updates coming soon!

How much do YOU know about the last 40 years? Take our quiz!

1. 1. What was the best-selling song in 2005 when five Wayside Family Networks programs launched?
   2. How much was a gallon of milk in 1977, the year Wayside was founded?
   3. Who won the Superbowl in 1996, the year Wayside merged with Children’s Behavioral Health Care, the parent organization of Beaverbrook Guidance Clinic (now Wayside Waltham) and the Watertown Multi-Service Center?
   4. Who was the Massachusetts Governor in 1984, the year Pearl Street House and Harbinger House merged to become Wayside Community Services?

Answers at the bottom of the page!

Wayside Innovates

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has served thousands of individuals and families throughout its 40 year history. In order to support our various programs, departments and services, we require grant funding. We are proud to announce that we have been awarded a grant to create Wayside Innovates, an interactive and educational new program that allows Wayside’s rising stars to gain professional development through designing and implementing their own program.

The Sudbury Foundation has generously awarded Wayside $5,000 to pilot this innovative program, and Wayside Senior Leadership has agreed to match $5,000 for a total of $10,000 to be spent on ideas proposed and fulfilled by rising star Wayside staff. Who knows better about what Wayside needs than staff that work with our clients every day? Participants will be asked to look beyond Wayside at the larger issues and how to apply new and innovative methods or approaches to our work. You will learn the nuts and bolts of running projects, such as budgeting, staffing patterns and capital needs.

2017 Grant Recipients:

We are thrilled to support the following innovative projects developed by Wayside staff:

•  Adventure Based Group Therapy program for youth in our intensive group homes was awarded $5,000. This proposal was submitted by Andrew DeVellis, Wayside Campus Clinician.
•  Therapy Dog program to be implemented agency-wide was awarded $2,500. This proposal was submitted by Judi Earnest, Wayside Blackstone Valley, in collaboration with Penny Russell, Assistant Campus Director.
• The Green Mental Health program, based on evidence-based treatments for wellness based on mindfulness, healthy nutrition and lifestyle change, will provide consultations to In-Home Therapy clients in MetroWest. This project was awarded $2,500 and was submitted by Danuza Aquino, Wayside MetroWest Community Services.

Senior leadership was amazed by the thoughtfulness and creativity of each grant proposal, which showed the passion our staff has for their work and the children and families we support every day! After careful consideration and deliberation, we decided to award these three grants, all of which show a strong commitment to our mission: Empowering children, young adults and families to achieve greater independence and emotional well-being.

I look forward to sharing the progress of these projects over the next year. Thank youto all who submitted ideas and proposals. It is truly humbling to see the breadth of expertise, energy and passion you all have for making the world a better place.

Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest

A letter to Wayside staff from Eric L. Masi, Ed.D, President & CEODecember 19, 2016

In our Strategic Plan for 2015-2019, we identified a major goal of:  “Adapting to the new changing health care environment.”  Today, I am pleased to tell you that, in partnership with Diane Gould, president and CEO of Advocates, and Jim Cuddy, executive director of SMOC, we are announcing the formation of a new collaboration among our three agencies that puts us well on our way to accomplishing this goal.

Advocates, SMOC, and Wayside will soon launch the Behavioral Health Partners of MetroWest (BHPMW).  Drawing on the long-standing mutual respect and clinical strengths of each agency (Wayside in particular for children, young adults and families; Advocates for adults and many unique high need populations; and SMOC for substance abuse services and their broad array of housing and social supports),  we will together offer individuals, families, and the professional healthcare community in the MetroWest area a single point of entry to access our collective scope of behavioral health and social services.  Click here to view/download a composite of the huge array of services the three agencies provide.

BHPMW will operate a common referral phone line, email address, and care coordination staff—shared by all three agencies—to respond to callers seeking behavioral health and social services. By working together in this way, we believe we can provide the quickest possible access to the most appropriate services for community members of all ages facing mental health, substance use and social service needs. By sharing common resources, we will be able to enhance coordination and follow-up, ensuring that people are successfully linked to the services they need and want.

In addition to better serving local communities, BHPMW will also enhance our ability to partner with health plans, accountable care organizations, and other new funders in the changing health care landscape. We expect that there will be opportunities for the new entity’s role in the service delivery system to expand over time.  BHPMW will not offer its own direct services but rather will refer callers to programs and services operated individually by each of the three partner agencies.  Each agency may choose to maintain its existing referral mechanisms in addition to the Behavioral Health Partners’ referral line. BHPMW will augment but not replace existing referral and intake channels.

We are proud to acknowledge the MetroWest Health Foundation for providing grant support to the three agencies as we planned this initiative.

I am excited about this opportunity to partner with our colleagues to provide improved access to our impressive range of behavioral health and social services. We are stronger together, and together we will help make our communities stronger. We are beginning to share this news in our community, so you can feel free to talk about this with others as well.

40th Anniversary Quiz Answers:

1. Mariah Carey, We Belong Together
2. $1.50
3. The Dallas Cowboys
4. Michael Dukakis