Events
We are Open!
September 2023
Dear Community Members, Partners and Colleagues,
We would like to invite you to join us in celebrating the opening of the City of Northampton DHHS Division of Community Care (DCC) Community Space on 9/8/23 from 10am-11am. The event will include opening remarks from City and Regional Leadership, an introduction and description of the use of the Community Space and time to meet and speak with the DCC Community Responders and what services the DCC will be beginning to provide in this exciting first phase of implementation. Following the event community members and partners are welcomed to join Community Responders for pizza and ice cream from 11:30am-12:30pm, take a tour of the Community Space, and participate in activities led by the Community Responders. Tour groups will be organized to give everyone a chance to see the space and will run from 11am-2pm.
We look forward to sharing this exciting time for Northampton, connecting with you and appreciate the many efforts that have brought the Department of Health and Human Services new Division of Community Care.
Merridith A. O'Leary, R.S., Health Commissioner
City of Northampton, Department of Health and Human Services
Listening Sessions
March 27, 2023
Division of Community Care partner C4 Innovations hosted two 90-minute listening sessions in March to hear from community members about their experiences with 911 and first responders. One session was for community members who identified as having recently contacted 911 for themselves or someone else. The second session was for community members who identified as being the subject of a 911 call placed by someone else. The information gathered by C4 will be used to support the launch of the DCC.
“Finding the Words” documentary premiere
January 28, 2023
The Northampton Department of Health and Human Services was a sponsor for the premiere of “Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside” at the Academy of Music. The documentary film profiles a group that offers writing workshops inside prisons, providing a safe space to process and heal from trauma for incarcerated people and those criminalized for substance use. The premiere included a discussion with the filmmakers and several Voices from Inside participants, as well as a salon involving several community advocacy groups.
Dinner in the Park “Beyond Possible” film screening & panel
September 28, 2022
DHHS, Community Action of the Pioneer Valley, and other community organizations hosted a resource fair in downtown Northampton’s Pulaski Park that included dinner provided by Manna Community Kitchen. The event provided members of the community an opportunity not only to have their basic needs met, but also feel seen and heard and make connections.
The event continued at the Academy of Music with a screening of “Beyond Possible,” about expanding our view of what is possible in the lives of people who hear voices, see visions, and/or have other non-consensus-reality-based experiences. It was followed by a panel of local leaders discussing how our relationships to these experiences impact public health and community.
“Beyond Possible” was produced by the Hearing Voices Network, part of an international collaboration between professionals, people with lived experience, and their families to develop an empowering alternative approach to coping with emotional distress. To learn more about the film or for personal viewing, visit beyondpossiblefilm.info.
Resilience Hub in the Park “Mosiac” film screening & panel
August 24, 2022
DHHS, Community Action Pioneer Valley, and other community organizations hosted a resource fair in downtown Northampton’s Pulaski Park that included dinner provided by Manna Community Kitchen.
The event continued at the Academy of Music with a screening of “Mosaic,” a locally created short film about leaders of color addressing public health inequities, followed by a panel of local leaders discussing health equity work both professionally and culturally.
For more information on the film and how to arrange a viewing, visit the Western Mass Health Equity Network.
Beyond De-Escalation
July 11, 2022
DCC and DHHS hosted a workshop led by the Wildflower Alliance. The four-hour session was designed to give participants more effective tools to connect with individuals in their community who are experiencing anger and other extreme states. The curriculum was designed to guide participants to shift out of response habits that can unintentionally create further power struggles.