TEAM UP News

Medical visits are rarely straightforward. Add factors such as poverty, chronic stress, complex medical issues, functional impairment, and barriers to material needs, and caring for one’s well-being becomes exponentially more layered and challenging. A community health worker is a human service worker who supports individuals and families in navigating systems, advocating for their needs, and building relationships that foster social-emotional well-being. Read the full article in Commonwealth Magazine.

As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes with a tangible end in sight, assessing its aftermath is only beginning. In its wake is a plethora of pressing matters, many of which have been amplified by COVID-19. “A big, bright light is now shining on all these inequities that existed prior to COVID,” notes Michelle Durham, MD, MPH, child and adult psychiatrist at Boston Medical Center. One issue in particular holds youth and adolescents in its grip: a longstanding mental health crisis worsened by the pandemic. Read the full article featuring Dr. Durham on bmc.org.

Dr. Michelle Durham is quoted in this article describing the TEAM UP model and speaking to the pediatric mental health need addressed by behavioral health integration. Read the full article on WBUR.

Dr. Janemarie Dolan and Jessica Miranda of Brockton Neighborhood Health Center (BNHC) are quoted in this article describing BNHC's team approach to making sure kids don’t fall through the cracks during the pandemic. Read the full article on WBUR.

Dr. Michelle Durham testified in front of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee at a hearing on "Mental Health Care in America: Addressing Root Causes and Identifying Policy Solutions." Read or watch her full testimony here.

We recently interviewed community health workers at four TEAM UP health centers about their work. For Community Health Worker Day, we’d like to share some of their comments to recognize their tremendous dedication to each other and to the families they serve. Each of them highlighted team collaboration, their personal connection to the work, and what community health work means to them. These interviews provide a glimpse into their individual motivations and approaches to the work.

Click here to download a version of the TEAM UP Transformation Model with callouts detailing discrete activities in each domain of the model.

This film, shared at the American Public Health Association's 2020 Public Health Film Festival, interviews Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Family Partners (FPs) at Codman Square Health Center, Lowell Community Health Center, and The Dimock Center. The goal of the film is to increase awareness of the much needed role that CHWs and FPs play in addressing social, cultural, linguistic, and operational barriers to care.

BRANCH (Building Resilience And Nurturing CHildren) is a brief trauma-informed, extended screening and assessment intervention developed for integrated behavioral health clinicians who practice in primary care pediatric settings. This report provides a summary of BRANCH’s development and implementation during the period of September 2017-May 2020.

Members of the TEAM UP team presented three bodies of work at the Academy Health 2020 Annual Research Meeting. Click here to view and download.