Seven Hills Staff Unite at Caring Force Rally

As part of the effort to hold Caring Force Rallies regional in addition to the main one at the State House,  the Providers Council recently held a rally in Worcester that included a packed room of several Central Massachusetts legislators along with over 200 staff and individuals supported throughout the region.  Caring Force Rallies are designed to give those who care about the human services sector the opportunity to advance with state legislators an agenda, creating an environment in Massachusetts that protects our most vulnerable neighbors as well as creates a stronger economy with the pay, recognition, and respect our dedicated staff deserve. These rallies united advocates, human services workers, and legislators statewide to celebrate the essential role of the human services sector and underscore the urgent need for continued funding.

With the generous support of twelve central MA human service provider agencies, the Central Massachusetts Caring Force Rally made the voices of our staff and supported people heard. Clark University's Tilton Hall was over capacity with yellow Caring Force shirts in a show of unity among the human services providers. Many Seven Hills staff members, people we support, and family gathered to advocate for a livable wage that will help to attract and retain good people who want to make a meaningful impact on people's lives, the continuation of the Chapter 257 Rate Reserve, and a student loan repayment program. State Senator Michael Moore served as the keynote speaker.  Senator Moore and the other members of the Central MA legislative delegation were thanked for their efforts over the past few years to increase staff pay and increase appropriations for programs and pay rates.   Although much progress has been made, further investments are needed to reach the goal of providing all workers in the human services sector with a livable wage.

The Central Massachusetts Rally was the last of the six Regional Caring Force Rallies.  The Caring Force held rallies across six Massachusetts regions, bringing advocacy directly into communities for the first time. The other five regional rallies were North of Boston Rally (March 22, 2024), which was held in Peabody; South of Boston Rally (April 12, 2024) was held in Taunton; MetroWest Rally (May 10, 2024) was held at Nevins Hall in Framingham; Western MA Rally (September 17, 2024), this event was hosted by Westfield State University; and the 12th Annual Caring Force Rally was held at the State House (May 22, 2024).

Dr. Kathleen Jordan Celebrated for her Outstanding Leadership

The Worcester Business Journal has selected Dr. Kathleen Jordan, President & CEO of Seven Hills Foundation, as a 2024 Outstanding Woman in Business and honored her in a luncheon ceremony on October 22. The recent WBJ publication highlighting eight outstanding women wrote, "Dr. Jordan joined Seven Hills Foundation more than two decades ago when she was hired to manage the nonprofit's acquisition of a pediatric skilled nursing facility in Groton. She'd heard of Seven Hills; she had lived in Worcester and was vaguely aware of what the Worcester-based nonprofit did. But as she got into her job and saw the organization intimately with her own eyes, she knew it was special. "I just found myself drawn even more deeply to working with individuals who are invisible or who, frankly, the public would like to see remain invisible," Jordan said. "The way Seven Hills approached it from a position of strength and celebration hooked me. That was 21 years ago, and I said, 'I'm not leaving.'"

Seven Hills isn't just the largest human services agency in Central Massachusetts; it operates 235 sites across Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island and New Hampshire, and even in other parts of the world through its Global Outreach affiliate. Dr. Jordan oversees a range of complex initiatives at Seven Hills and its 15 affiliate companies, including quality assurance and program improvement, risk management, Medicaid initiatives, research, and regulatory oversight. With a $500-million operating budget, the foundation has 4,500 employees serving 60,000 children and adults. Additionally, Dr. Jordan serves as adjunct faculty at Central Michigan University, where she earned her doctorate.

The Outstanding Women in Business awards have long been one of WBJ's hardest honors to win. Typically, more than 50 women are nominated for the award, and yet only 10-20% of those nominees are selected as winners. Many, many worthy professionals don't make the cut, and each year brings another round of truly excellent nominees.  Now in its 16th year, the Outstanding Women in Business Awards have evolved over time. It started a bit as a lifetime achievement award for women at a time when the majority of those types of honors went to men. As that shifted, Outstanding Women in Business focused more on women doing great things at any point in their careers.

Human Services Career Support Program Making Moves

The Human Services Career Support Program partnership of Open Sky Community Services and Seven Hills Foundation will be continuing with a $50,000 grant from the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund for Program Design to explore interests, needs, resources, partners, challenges, and barriers to designing and implementing the Human Services /Behavioral Health Career Pipeline in North Central Massachusetts.  Tashiani Forman, Seven Hills career support and advancement navigator, and Omolewa Fagboore, Open Sky career pipeline manager, were congratulated by Massachusetts Secretary of Labor Lauren Jones for their tireless work to provide access to training, wrap-around support, and job placement to immigrants, refugees, the underemployed, and the unemployed, and now, expansion from Central to North County Massachusetts.

Open Sky Community Services and Seven Hills Foundation, along with partners African Community Education, Southeast Asian Coalition, UMass Chan Medical School, and Mass Hire, have collaborated to create an innovative pathway model in the Worcester region. This model encompasses multiple levels of access to a rewarding career in Human Services/Behavioral Health while offering opportunities for BIPOC and immigrant populations and addressing acute workforce shortages. The pathway begins with Dynamic Futures, which exposes BIPOC youth in Worcester Public Schools to behavioral health as a career option.

Next, immigrants and other underserved and unemployed adults can enter the Human Services Career Support program that provides 5 months of training, paid internship rotations, access to cultural facilitators and mentors, and wrap supports to expose participants to potential employment opportunities in the field and then hire them as staff upon completion of the program (which has achieved retention rates of 87%).  A third pathway offers BIPOC incumbent staff the opportunity to explore clinical and leadership careers and connections to in-house mentors through the Clinical and Leadership pathway, and lastly, the Higher Ed Career Pathway program provides incumbent staff with a no-cost Masters degree leading to licensure as a Mental Health Clinician (LMHC). 

Additionally, the Seven Hills Career Support Program recently graduated 24 students from its inaugural class on Friday, August 23. The 24 students, all from Haiti, were immersed in learning English while completing their certification of completion for direct care in the human services field. The students were welcomed to their work by Sarah Joseph, Director of Community Engagement, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. She spoke on the importance of their upcoming work caring for others in their communities. Representing the class, student Jesomene Francois asked her class to, "Value the new friendships and remember the importance of hard work. Let's celebrate our victories as we grow strong with each challenge. Today about embracing the future. Let's approach the future with optimism. Always remember where we come from and who we are."

Seven Hills Behavioral Health's Harm Reduction Teams Make Impact

The Seven Hills Behavioral Health Harm Reduction teams during the week of August 26 to August 30 made a significant impact in the Southeastern Massachusetts community through several events. On August 26, in collaboration with local stakeholders, the Harm Reduction Teams targeted the fishing industry in New Bedford at the waterfront,  providing critical resources such as lifesaving Narcan and educational materials. As the week unfolded, they participated in the International Overdose Awareness events throughout the area — including New Bedford, Taunton, Dartmouth, and Fall River— and demonstrated the group's commitment to harm reduction.  During these events, the teams tested 38 individuals for HIV, Hepatitis C, and other STIs, and distributed over 110 doses of Narcan, alongside safe sex and safe injection kits. "The engagement with the community by our teams helped those facing mental health and substance use challenges feel connected and supported. Thank you for making this week a tremendous success. Your efforts are invaluable, and I couldn't be prouder of each team member," commented Connie Rocha-Mimoso, Director of Community Health Services for Seven Hills Behavioral Health.

Seven Hills Behavioral Health employs an integrated team of specialists to work at its Community Wellness Centers located in New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton.  Community Health Workers and peer leaders provide culturally competent community and street outreach & education, prevention workshops and social community-building groups, and comprehensive health promotion services for men, women and youth. Individual counseling on substance abuse, domestic violence, HIV, Hepatitis C, STIs, and sexual decision-making is available, along with SA, HIV and STI screening, testing, referral for treatment, and free supplies.  Seven Hills Behavioral Health works closely with local community partners in Southeastern Massachusetts, including local law enforcement, faith-based groups, local correctional systems, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to implement health promotion and disease prevention initiatives.

The (Dis)Comfort of Home: A New Solo Exhibition by Moriah Faith at the Open Door Gallery in the Worcester Art Museum

Last month, the Open Door Gallery at the Worcester Art Museum (ODG@WAM) celebrated the new solo exhibition by Moriah Faith with an opening reception and artist talk. The (Dis)Comfort of Home features abstracted realism in large-scale paintings by Faith that "honor the small moments when my sick body was strong." Faith shares about her process "The canvas became my solace – a place to be brutally honest without sugarcoating my experiences for the comfort of others…By taking moments I wanted to be small and making them large, I have painted my invisible illness into striking visibility, celebrating the body despite its discomfort." This is the first solo exhibition by Faith who recently received the grand prize award from the Kennedy Center's Emerging Young Artists with Disabilities competition in 2022. The (Dis)Comfort of Home will be on display through December 10, 2024.

The Open Door Gallery exhibits and celebrates the work of artists with a disability.  Created as a collaborative project between Open Door Arts, an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation, and the Worcester Art Museum, it is the only permanent gallery solely dedicated to promoting the work of artists with a disability within a museum setting in Massachusetts.  "One exhibit at a time, Open Door Gallery at the Worcester Art Museum seeks to expand our collective understanding of disability and to create a model for equitable and accessible cultural spaces," says Open Door Arts Managing Director Nicole Agois.

Open Door Arts, an affiliate of Seven Hills Foundation, works annually with more than 3,000 students, teaching artists, educators and leaders of cultural organizations through innovative and inclusive programming, training, events, and exhibits designed to improve access, expand participation, challenge the status quo and share practices to ensure equitable representation by people with disabilities in the arts.  ODA has galleries in Worcester (Worcester Art Museum) and Boston (Nonprofit Center) that showcase the work of emerging and established artists with disabilities to advance career opportunities, increase visibility and representation, and serve as platforms for the community to have important conversations about disability, identity, and culture.