Page 10 - BusinessWest May 29, 2023

EDITORIAL >>
Many Roads to Mental Wellness
Girls on the Run isn’t about running.
Sure, running is a big part of this program for girls in grades 3-8; participants learn to enjoy running and build
endurance so they can keep at it longer — and become healthier in the process.
But the heart of this organization (see story on page 30) isn’t physical endurance; it’s emotional resilience. It’s about social- emotional health, developing confidence, and finding joy.
And those can be challenges for young people today.
“We’ve definitely tapped into a need,” Alison Berman, coun-
cil director of Girls on the Run Western Massachusetts, told us. “There’s a huge child mental-health crisis right now. And whatev- er’s going on with them, Girls on the Run is giving them this extra layer of skills to support them.”
Interestingly, we spoke with Berman and her team members during Mental Health Awareness Month, just a few days after we visited Springfield Central Library for another program aimed at young people and their emotional wellness.
Specifically, MiraVista Behavioral Health Center partnered with the Holyoke Public Library and Springfield’s city libraries to encourage awareness and conversations on the topic of mental wellness. Displays of books and other materials have been promi- nently set up to promote understanding around mental health and to encourage such collaborations for libraries to become better resources on the topic — for visitors of all ages, including (and, perhaps, especially) youth.
María Pagán, Holyoke Public Library director, said she hopes that, by making educational materials about mental health and substance use more accessible, the effort will eventually encour- age people to learn about these conditions, recognize them, and seek any needed assistance.
OPINION >>
Jean Canosa Albano, assistant director for Public Services
at Springfield Central Library, said librarians don’t judge what people read. “The same thing goes for if you were to come into a library and ask a question that concerns mental health or emo- tional wellness. We don’t judge that. We’re here to help you no matter what.”
The displays, she said, might help visitors find something they need, and realize that “this is a safe place to ask questions, including about your emotional wellness.”
Meanwhile, just a few months ago, the Springfield Youth Men- tal Health Coalition, convened by the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, launched “I Am More Than My Mood,” a new awareness campaign that aims to normalize healthy con- versations about mental health and encourage youth and their caregivers in Greater Springfield to discuss stress, anxiety, and depression as common challenges that everyone goes through.
These are just a few examples, but the message is clear: men- tal-health issues are common — and were certainly exacerbated during the pandemic, especially for young people — and the time is always right to talk about them (as in the case of the library partnership and the coalition campaign) and give kids healthy alternatives to achieve personal wellness (as Girls on the Run and other youth-serving nonprofits do).
Pagán, for her part, agrees with Canosa. “No judgment. You might read something because you want to, you’re curious, or because you know somebody that might benefit, and you could help if you learn about it. Information is power.”
So is talking about mental health. So let’s keep talking. BW
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Anchor Collaborative Benefits Businesses
BY RICK SULLIVAN
The Western Massachusetts Anchor Collaborative (WMAC), founded by the Western Massachusetts Economic Develop- ment Council (EDC) in partnership with Baystate Health, provides comprehensive, systemic, and locally led solutions to regional women- and minority- owned businesses and workforce challenges. The WMAC was initiated to propel hiring and career pathways for BIPOC and marginalized populations.
The WMAC has successfully established multi-year targets
to increase local procurement opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses, and are developing an ‘Anchor-ready accelerator’ that will cultivate a resilient local supplier pipeline for targeted goods and services. The accelerator will provide wrap- around services and resources to prepare and scale vendors for contracts with Anchor institutions.
WMAC institutions seek to address inequities that have resulted from historic patterns of disinvestment and bias related to neighborhood, race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic sta- tus in Western Mass. These institutions have more than 18,000 employees, with nearly 3,000 residing in economically disadvan- taged neighborhoods in Western Mass.
Collectively, Anchor Collaborative institutions currently spend more than $2 billion in goods and services and have committed to annually increasing the percentage of spending toward local and diverse businesses. Bridging the gap between Anchor institu- tions and the local community is a key ingredient to successful and positive economic impact.
The Anchor Collaborative aims to foster equitable communi- ties and strong local economies, pilot career-pathway programs, align support for entry-level and low-wage employees from dis- advantaged neighborhoods, cultivate jobs and promote healthier employees and residents, and leverage each institution’s purchas- ing and hiring power
The WMAC chooses smaller businesses that have historically not had the opportunity to enter supply chains, or get capitalized, underwritten, etc. It coordinates workforce-development strate- gies with Springfield WORKS, an EDC community initiative, to create training opportunities for career pathways to living-wage jobs. WMAC institutions provide a mentorship role to smaller businesses to allow them to scale up and help them grow. Big Y has been an influential leader in this initiative, supporting local greenhouses and farmers. It even offers a reusable food-wrap product, Z-Wrap, on its shelves.
Data will be regularly collected and analyzed to set effective targets and monitor progress. The goal is to design an internal process that allows for accessible professional development and growth, leading to promotions and careers within each institu- tion. We aim to enhance our impact and drive regional economic equity and financial vitality for our communities. BW
Rick Sullivan is president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council; www.westernmassedc.com
10 MAY 29, 2023
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