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Brien Center Awarded $360K Curb Risky High School Student Behavior

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Brien Center has been awarded a total of $357,480 in state grants that will fund a first-of-its kind program in two Berkshire County high schools that is designed to reduce such risky behaviors as smoking, vaping, drinking and substance misuse that could compromise students' futures.
 
The local organization applied for the funds through a competitive grant process offered for the first time by the state Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, Office of Youth and Young Adult Services. The bureau awarded 18 grants statewide, with the Brien Center winning two of them.
 
The grants will fund new and intensive services at Taconic High School in Pittsfield and Drury High School in North Adams – schools that already work closely with the Brien Center's youth programs. The schools are not identified because their students have riskier behaviors. Schools identified for the grants have a strong internal system to identify high-risk youth.
 
"We have had substance abuse educators in most Berkshire schools for 25 years on a limited basis due to funding," said M. Christine Macbeth, president and CEO of the Brien Center. "However, both Taconic and Drury have utilized our services to their fullest potential. This new grant will allow us to expand our collaboration to a much higher level."
 
According to Macbeth, one of the most unique features of the new grant program is the opportunity to now work with students and their families to curb identified behaviors that can easily jeopardize the student's future and reduce substance use disorders in adulthood.
 
"For the first time, we will have a clinician and two case managers in the two high schools who will carry a case load of 30 students and families," she said. "This is the kind of intensive family approach that will achieve a higher level of success."
 
Pittsfield School Superintendent Jason "Jake" McCandless said that collaboration among students, their families, the school, and the Brien Center is vital to the student's success and benefits the entire community.
 
"We know that for students to reach the potential that is present in all learners, we must work collaboratively with them, their families, and community partners," McCandless said. "We're fortunate to partner with the Brien Center once again to help students build a toolkit that will lead to happier, healthier and more productive lives."
 
Barbara Malkas, superintendent of the North Adams Public Schools, noted that youthful decisions around risky behavior can have long-lasting consequences.
 
"The wrong decisions can impact a lifetime and even limit a life span," she said. "By actively engaging our students and their families with clinicians and case workers from the Brien Center, we hope to destigmatize services for social and emotional well-being for our adolescent
community."
 
At present, students who are caught smoking, vaping, drinking or misusing drugs are often disciplined or suspended. "This program presents a new model that works with students and their families — including any other kids in the family — to end the kind of behavior that can escalate," said James Mucia, director of child and adolescent services at the Brien Center. "All of these behaviors are precursors to substance misuse disorders down the road. Our goal is to prevent that."
 
To qualify for Brien Center intervention, students must have engaged in a risky behavior that has not yet escalated to addiction. They can be referred by the schools, by the court, by health-care providers and even by their families.
 
Michael Monti, the initiative's program director and community liaison, said family referrals will signify that parents are ready to invest in their teen's better health and future.
 
"This program will enable us to look at the high school years in a more holistic way," he said. "We want students to get a great education. We also want them to graduate as well-rounded individuals who are ready to be successful when they take the next step to college or entering our local workforce."
 
Monti said the state grants will fund the program for three years. During that time, the Brien Center and the 16 other grantees across the state will keep close track of the data in hopes that the state will provide permanent funding.

Tags: at-risk,   Brien Center,   state grant,   

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Companion Corner: Glo at the Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and playful dog at the Berkshire Humane Society waiting for her new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

"Glo is about a one-year-old, sweet female pitty mix who has nothing but love to give," said kennel supervisor Stacey Broderick.

Glo has been at the shelter for about three weeks after unfortunately being kicked out of her previous home.

"She came here because her previous home, she was being crated an awful lot, and unfortunately, was creating a little bit of a raucous when she was left by herself," said Broderick. "So she was just being a little barky, a little loud. Neighbors obviously shared walls in an apartment setting we're complaining to the landlord, and the landlord said, unfortunately, that she had to go."

But since coming to the shelter she has been learning a lot.

"She's been nothing but a sweet little girl ever since she is working on crate training, she has been very good for us. We're practicing it with her. She is also working on her house training. In addition to it, it seems that we had a little bit of a reverse situation going on, where she likes to go potties inside, but we are working very hard, and she is learning so quickly," she said. "So even after just a couple weeks with us, she's been really getting the point to go outside and do all of her potties out there."

She would do best in the home as the only dog and possibly without cats. She would also do best with older children who can understand her needs as she needs less activity than other dogs.

"The perfect home would, because of the necessity for her to have a lower activity level, probably without other dogs, just because she can get a little bit rambunctious when she gets excited around them," Broderick said. "So she could certainly have doggie play dates, but her perfect home would be no dogs. Unfortunately, we do have a bit of a prey drive with kitty cats, so probably leaning away from the cats, unless they're incredibly dog savvy ...

"Probably looking toward a home without super young kids, just so they're not jumping, you know, or leaning, or anything along those lines, and understanding that sometimes she's going to just need a break."

Because of a medical condition she wouldn't be able to go on long hikes or do anything extraneous but she is still very active and playful.

"She is absolutely lovely. She's sweet, she's young, she's playful. She wants to be with her people all the time. She loves toys. She does like going out for walks. We do have a couple of medical things that we can certainly give more information to adopters, too," she said. "We have some hip dysplasia that we're looking at, so probably moderate activity level would be best for her.

"She shouldn't necessarily be going on super long hikes, even though she would love to, but she is young and full of life and full of energy, and wants nothing more than to be with her people."

Since Glo has hip dysplasia she will need to maintain a healthy weight to not add stress to her joints and can also benefit from hydrotherapy.

"It's something that somebody will have to have a good relationship with a veterinarian physical therapists, and then if they were interested in doing a hydrotherapy type situation, it can only help her," Broderick said. "We want to keep those muscles built up in the hind end so that her hips are not taking the brunt of the bone on bone action while she is kind of living out her very best life."

Glo hasn't shown any symptoms or difficulties since being at the shelter, but it is a condition that her owners need to understand and it increases her chances of arthritis as she gets older.

Broderick said Fritters Critters in Lee specializes in pet hydrotherapy.

"They basically work on an underwater treadmill. So that's walking under the water so that she has a little bit of resistance and the water is warm, so that it's optimum for therapeutic benefits," she said. "They do have a pool there, too, where she would be able to do some swimming, and it really gives her the ability to exercise and really extend those joints and build up those muscles without the added pressure of gravity and impact as she's walking or playing or running.

"So the hydrotherapy is a great option for dogs, even if you just want to do it for fun. She could really benefit healthwise, from it, too."

She will also have to stay on her joint mobility food to help her.

But Glo is a very happy and playful dog and loves everyone she sees and is hoping to find someone who will love her just as much to take her home.

"I can't say enough good about her. I know that the hip dysplasia sounds like a scary piece of it, as well as the house training," Broderick said. "But honestly, there was not a friendlier, sweeter, more outgoing, social, wants to be best friends with you, kind of dog. She was in the front lobby this past Saturday, and she met like 10 people at the same time, and just made rounds and loved every single person as they came in."

You can visit Glo at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about her on the website.

The Berkshire Humane Society is open Tuesday through Sunday. The adoption center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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