Help for Cambridge youths
Harvard Medical School (HMS) faculty members are working with the city of Cambridge to provide mental health services in partnership with police, schools, and youth services programs, as part of a wide-ranging effort to keep kids out of court. Since its founding in 2007, the Cambridge Safety Net Collaborative has successfully diverted hundreds of Cambridge youths into structured activities — such as athletic leagues and after-school programs — and linked them to counseling and mental health services, when needed. James Barrett, an instructor in psychology in HMS’s Department of Psychiatry and with the Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance, heads the mental health assessment and treatment part of the program. Barrett meets with representatives of the other key organizations involved — Cambridge police, schools, and the Department of Human Service Programs — every other week. Together, they review cases involved with the Safety Net Collaborative and refer them to an appropriate program. Safety Net got...