EAST PROVIDENCE – Parents seeking services for adolescents dealing with concurrent mental health and substance use disorders will soon have a dedicated place to turn thanks to a $200,000 grant from CVS Health Corp. for Bradley Hospital’s new outpatient program to treat the disorders simultaneously.
“At least once a week, I get a phone call from a parent who’s looking for a service for their child,” dealing with substance use and mental health disorders, said Dr. Selby Conrad, director of the new program.
ISO 9001:2026: A Practical Opportunity to Build for What’s Next
For Rhode Island manufacturers, ISO 9001 has been much more than a certificate on the…
Learn More
Before, there were only a few service providers parents could turn to for such help, Conrad said. Now, they’ll have a space dedicated to the complicated treatment.
“Rates of substance use and addiction among Rhode Islanders exceed national averages across all age groups, including adolescents,” said Daniel J. Wall, president of Bradley Hospital. “And with as many as 80 percent of [youths] with a substance use problem also having a psychiatric disorder, it’s critical that we address both issues concurrently. We applaud CVS Health for their commitment to this community health crisis, and could not be more grateful for their generous funding that will launch our outpatient program.”
The new initiative will complement Bradley’s recently developed residential and intensive treatment programs for youths with acute co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
While not all adolescents dealing with substance abuse or mental illness experience difficulty with both, “It’s not uncommon for those with mental health disorders to be at risk for substance abuse,” Conrad said.
The outpatient program will offer structured treatment sessions every weekday after school, allowing patients to receive care while enabling them to return home at night and on the weekends. Staffing will include psychologists, a social worker and a psychiatrist, who will provide individual, group and family therapy, as well as medication management as necessary.
The program is part of CVS Health’s Building Healthier Communities initiative, a $100 million commitment over five years to making community health and wellness central to the company’s charge for a better world, following its completed acquisition of Aetna Inc.
In addition to this grant, CVS Health supports Bradley Hospital and its Lifespan Corp. partners with approximately $100,000 each year through sponsorships, product donations, grants and volunteerism.
“We are just so grateful to CVS for their interest in this,” Conrad said.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN contributing writer.
