Dr. Siu Ping Chin Feman Named Distinguished Fellow of the APA
We are proud to share that Dr. Siu Ping Chin Feman, Eliot’s Medical Director of Homeless Services, has been named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society—an honor reserved for psychiatrists who have made exceptional contributions to the profession.
In her reflection, Dr. Chin Feman shares the personal and professional journey that led her to psychiatry, to Eliot, and to her ongoing mission of supporting people as they heal from trauma and transition out of homelessness. [READ]
The Power of Social Work and Mentorship at Eliot
For Leah Jackson Kean, social work wasn’t always the plan. As an undergraduate studying counseling psychology, she initially saw herself on the path to becoming a licensed mental health counselor. But during her final-year internship at a residential program for girls, her perspective shifted—thanks in part to an inspiring mentor who encouraged her to consider social work. That advice set Leah on a path that would lead to a career of deep impact, growth, and leadership. [READ]
The Heart of Social Work: Honoring Women in the Field
March is a time of recognition—both for the history-making women who have shaped our world and for the dedicated social workers who make a difference every day. National Social Work Month and Women’s History Month share a common theme: the power of compassion, advocacy, and resilience. And on National Social Worker’s Day, we highlight the professionals who embody these values, working tirelessly to uplift individuals and communities. [READ]
Rising Together: How Women at Eliot Are Shaping Leadership and Mentorship
At Eliot Community Human Services, leadership isn’t just about titles—it’s about lifting others as we climb, shaping the future, and creating pathways where none existed before. In a recent roundtable discussion, four remarkable women leaders at Eliot gathered to discuss women and leadership. Susan Higgins, Vice President of Adult Clinical Services, Dr. Siu Ping Chin Feman, Medical Director of Homeless Services, Dr. Alana Nagle, CBHC Chief Medical Officer, and Dr. Alyson Theeman, Director of Forensic Psychology all shared their journeys, each a testament to strength, mentorship, and the power of community. [READ]
Abigail Adams Eliot: A Trailblazer in Early Childhood Development and Mental Health
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we honor the legacy of Abigail Adams Eliot—a pioneering educator and leader whose vision laid the foundation for what would become Eliot Community Human Services. At a time when women’s roles in the workforce were rapidly evolving, Eliot forged a path in early childhood development and mental health, shaping the future of care for generations to come. [READ]
Hope in Motion: Leighton O’Connor’s Mission to Empower Communities
It all started with a Jeep and a calling. In the fall of 2018, Leighton O’Connor founded Mission for Hope, driven by a deep conviction to support people experiencing homelessness in cities across America. Traveling from state to state, with his two door Jeep Wrangler, he set out to bring warmth, dignity, and connection to those in need.
Among the many stops on this journey, one moment in Atlanta stands out. While distributing supplies, Leighton and his team met a veteran—alone, unhoused, and turning 50 that very day. But fate had something in store for him. A donated birthday cake made its way into their hands, and right there, in the middle of the city streets, they lit the candles and sang. It was a simple gesture, but one that reminded him—and all those present—that he was seen, valued, and not forgotten. [READ]
From Roots to Recovery: The Importance of Treating Co-Occurring Conditions in Eating Disorders
Understanding and addressing the complex interplay between eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions is essential for promoting effective, sustained recovery. Eliot Community Human Services remains committed to providing comprehensive, person-centered care that meets the diverse needs of those we serve. This Eating Disorders Awareness Week, “The Time is Now” to prioritize integrated, compassionate care for individuals navigating the challenges of EDs and co-occurring mental and behavioral health conditions. Eliot clinician Sarajane Mullins, LMHC, NCC has been working with eating disorders for more than a decade. [READ]
The Lynn Calm Team: Transforming Crisis Response for Stronger, Healthier Communities
A new approach to mental health support and crisis care that prioritizes dignity, safety, and community well-being.
In moments of crisis, traditional law enforcement responses are not always the best solution—especially when the situation involves mental or behavioral health needs. For communities of color, accessing the right care at the right time has often been a challenge. A health-centered approach to crisis response leads to better outcomes, safer interactions, and stronger community connections. [READ]
Exploring the Intersection of Eating Disorders and Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions
Eating disorders (EDs) are complex mental health conditions characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions. Beyond their immediate impact on physical health, EDs often coexist with other psychiatric disorders, creating intricate clinical profiles that pose challenges for diagnosis and treatment. Understanding the prevalence and nature of these co-occurring conditions is crucial for developing comprehensive, effective treatment strategies.
At Eliot Community Human Services, we recognize the complexity of eating disorders and their frequent overlap with other mental and behavioral health conditions. Our comprehensive transdiagnostic care model is designed to address the full spectrum of an individual’s needs, ensuring integrated and person-centered treatment. By focusing on the interconnectedness of mental health conditions, we aim to provide coordinated care that improves long-term outcomes. [READ]
Supporting Whole-Person Health: How Eliot’s Behavioral Health Community Partners Program Resolves Social Determinants of Health Challenges
When Kevin (name changed for confidentiality) joined Eliot’s Behavioral Health Community Partners (BH CP) program in October 2023, he faced more than a health crisis. He was experiencing homelessness, struggling with financial hardship, and unable to maintain consistent medical care. These challenges—known as social determinants of health (SDOH)—were immediate obstacles to his recovery. Eliot’s BH CP team took swift, decisive action to address these barriers, laying the groundwork for lasting stability and improved well-being. [READ]
Spotlighting Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2025: The Time is Now
Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW), observed February 24 – March 2, 2025, is a crucial time to spotlight the realities of eating disorders and the importance of accessible, comprehensive care. Eating disorders have the second-highest mortality rate among mental illnesses, with one person dying every 52 minutes. Yet, stigma and a lack of awareness often stand in the way of early intervention and recovery. [READ]
Honoring Black History Month: A Commitment to Expanding Access in Mental Health and Human Services
As we celebrate Black History Month, Eliot Community Human Services reaffirms our commitment to ensuring access to high-quality mental health, behavioral health, and human services for all individuals, particularly those from historically underserved communities. This month is a time to honor the resilience, contributions, and lived experiences of Black individuals and communities while also recognizing the ongoing challenges in accessing mental health support. [READ]
Eliot’s Care Coordination Division: Driving Excellence in Community Care
At Eliot, our Care Coordination Division is committed to delivering impactful, person-centered care through our Behavioral Health Community Partner (BH CP) and Health Home programs. This dedication is reflected in the outcomes we’ve achieved, the feedback we’ve received, and the lives we’ve helped transform. [READ]
A Record-Breaking Night for NAN: Our Deepest Gratitude
October 24, 2024
Thank you for making this year’s A Night for NAN an unforgettable and impactful evening! Thanks to your extraordinary support, this year’s event was our most successful yet, raising a record-breaking $194,000 to support The NAN Project’s mission of saving lives through storytelling, connection, and advocacy. [READ]
Ricardo’s Leadership at Eliot
What do I want people to know about me, what Hispanic Heritage Month means to me, and how do I embed this in my everyday work?
Something I would like for everyone to know is that English is truly my second language, and it may surprise you that I was born in Guatemala and immigrated to MA as a baby. Even more surprising is that I speak English better than Spanish despite English being my second language. It is likely a take on the importance of education that my family upheld; I was taught that through education and hard work, anything is possible. [READ]
Luisa’s Journey to Giving Back
My story begins the moment my parents adopted me as an infant. I was born in the very isolated Colombian town of Abejorral and raised in Medellin, Colombia. I have never met my biological parents, but I had the privilege of being raised by a caring, generous family who nourished my physical and psychological health. Looking back at my childhood in Colombia, I know I would not be where I am today without the loving, secure, and supportive environment my family provided for me. When I had my first pediatric appointment at nine months old, the pediatrician told my parents that my motor and communication skills were delayed. My parents sought out intervention services for me, and as a result, I was able to reach my full developmental potential by the age of two… [READ]
Concluding Recovery Month 2024
As Recovery Month comes to a close today, Eliot is proud to reflect on the success of this year’s month-long honoring, remembrance and celebration. Our special event on September 20th brought together hundreds of clients, staff, and community members to recognize resilience, share powerful stories of recovery, and highlight the incredible work being done across our programs. This year, we were especially proud to spotlight the vital contributions of our Lived Experience Staff—Recovery Coaches and Peer Specialists—who collectively represent over 225 years of sustained recovery. Their experience and passion continue to make a profound difference in the lives of those we serve. [READ]
Holding Hope: Eliot Clinician Willow’s Journey with John through CAMS and the Lifeline Letter
My client, John, is a college student who came to Eliot’s Tri-City Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) with a history of depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts. By the time he arrived, John had experienced severe depressive symptoms, social anxiety, self-injurious behavior, and suicidal ideation. He was very guarded with providers, including me, but once he and I formed a rapport I wrote a letter of support for his decision to take a medical leave for the spring semester to focus more on his mental health treatment. [READ]
Celebrating Recovery Month: A Conversation with Eliot’s Director of Lived Experience Services
At Eliot, the transformative power of lived experience is a cornerstone of our programming. Our Director of Lived Experience Services, Danny Ginivan, embodies this philosophy, bringing a unique perspective to the leadership team that is both professionally and personally grounded. We sat down with him to discuss his role, the significance of Recovery Month, and how the broader community can support recovery efforts. [READ]
Celebrating Recovery Month: A Personal and Professional Journey
Meet Our Director of Recovery Coaching
At Eliot Community Human Services, our commitment to recovery is embedded in the work we do every day. To highlight Recovery Month, we sat down with our Director of Recovery Coaching to explore how lived experience shapes the recovery journey for individuals we serve.
“As the Director of Recovery Coaching, I provide supervision and support to all our recovery coaches. This involves guiding them through professional development, encouraging self-care, and offering overall guidance on the best ways to support individuals on their recovery journey. I also collaborate with clinical staff to provide education and perspective on what recovery truly looks like. I feel privileged to have been a part of Eliot for the past five years and to have contributed to the growth of recovery coaching across different areas of our agency. Eliot truly recognizes the value of recovery coaches as essential members of our treatment team, which has been a rewarding experience for me both professionally and personally.” [READ]
Celebrating Recovery Month: Breaking the Stigma and Embracing Science-Backed Care
As we begin Recovery Month at Eliot Community Human Services (Eliot), we celebrate the inspiring journeys of those who have faced the challenges of substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health diagnoses, and emerged stronger. Recovery is not just about overcoming addiction or other behavioral health challenges; it’s about healing, reclaiming lives, rebuilding relationships, and igniting hope. It’s about supporting individuals in becoming empowered and self-expressed. Throughout September, we honor the resilience of our clients, the dedication of our staff, and the transformative power of compassionate, evidence-based care. [READ]
Eliot Partners with the Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham and Wakefield to provide mental health services
May 31, 2023
“Just a few months after launching the new “Here & Now” mental health initiative, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield are proud to announce an innovative addition to their offerings – a collaboration with Eliot Community Human Services. Under the new partnership, master-level clinicians will be placed on-site at the Clubs to provide elevated support and invaluable mental health resources within the middle and high school aged programs, including crucial therapeutic services for members and families, social and emotional learning activities in the after school and summer camp programs, Trauma Informed Care training for all Club staff, and more…[READ]“
Mayor Michelle Wu Announces $16.5 million from HUD to address unsheltered homelessness
May 4, 2023
“Mayor Michelle Wu today announced that the City of Boston has been awarded $16.5 million over three years, the full amount requested, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address unsheltered homelessness, securing unprecedented resources to build on the City’s housing-centered approach to the intersecting crises of unsheltered homelessness, substance use disorder, and mental health centered in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. In addition to receiving the funding, the City was also awarded 76 stability vouchers to support residents and families ability to stay in housing…[READ]”
The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children to Open Two Bright Spaces at Eliot Early Intervention Center
March 22, 2023
“The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children opened two Bright Spaces at the Eliot Early Intervention Center, 43 Dartmouth Street in Malden, MA in honor of Bright Horizons’ founders Roger Brown and Linda Mason. The founders joined Bright Horizons’ CEO Stephen Kramer along with additional company executives and board members to cut the ribbon and celebrate the openings on March 22….[READ]”
Eliot houses 50 homeless people from Mass and Cass
February 22, 2023
“Eliot Community Human Services Director of Homeless and Outreach Services Keith Wales recalls when his team first met Rob* on Mass and Cass.
‘When our team first encountered Rob, he had reportedly been in the prayer position for several hours asking for his mother,’ said Wales.
Rob eventually transitioned into Eliot’s homelessness program. After a lot of engagement & support, Rob has opted to take medication to help treat his psychiatric illness and is in the process of transitioning into his own apartment.Rob is just one of the many success stories Wales fondly remembers. ..[READ]”
Expanding access to mental-health services
January 10, 2023
“The Commonwealth has created a program providing easy access to mental health services through the establishment of a Behavioral Health Help Line to be administered by licensed behavioral health centers. Eliot Community Human Services is participating in this program. We are proposing that the City and community leaders team with Eliot on the Community Behavioral Health Center (CHBC) initiative…[READ]”
How a nonprofit moved 150 people from ‘Mass. and Cass’ into permanent housing, and is helping them stay there
October 19, 2022
“When someone is homeless and sleeping on the street, it’s not easy to help them find a permanent home and adjust to a new way of life. Now imagine helping 150 people do that.
That’s what workers from the nonprofit Eliot Community Human Services did in Boston over the past 12 months…[READ]“
After leaving ‘Mass. and Cass,’ former Sox minor league pitcher has ‘team’ helping him toward recovery
“One year has passed since Boston officials declared an encampment near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard a public health crisis. At the time, more than 300 people were living on sidewalks, in tents and under makeshift shelters across about five city blocks…[READ]“
August 2022
“One in five adults experience mental illness each year and one in twenty experience serious mental illness. Eliot’s Behavioral Health Community Partner (BHCP) Program highlights that targeting resources, fully integrating teams, developing care plans that encourage patient buy-in, and attending to outcomes are the building blocks of improved health and overall wellness for individuals experiencing challenges related to mental health, substance use, and complex physical health issues.” [MORE]
June 24, 2022
“The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1.4 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for the costs associated with the sheltering of homeless persons who contracted the coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic.” [MORE]
February 2022
“Eliot pursued strategic planning and process implementation support to engage ACOs in developing coordinated workflows to improve ACO/CP shared quality measures, and to demonstrate Eliot’s value as a Behavioral Health Community Partner to MassHealth ACOs.”
August 18, 2021
EVERETT, Mass. — Families will now be juggling their booster shot schedule for the start of the school year.
Some families are concerned the waning vaccines may make them more vulnerable to spread as their children go back to school. This year, back-to-school supplies are also becoming things like PPE and Covid vaccines. [MORE]
December 18, 2020
NORTHAMPTON — On Tuesday afternoon, Christina Remmes, who goes by “Smiles,” was busking on Main Street in front of the empty storefront that once housed Faces, playing “The Rivers of Texas” on her guitar and collecting some money in her case. She chatted with friends as they walked by, handing one person some change from her guitar case. [MORE]
Reinventing Care for the most vulnerable, at risk patients.
December 1, 2020
Eliot Community Human Services is committed to serving the most vulnerable of populations – those at risk with limited or no resources for help. We reached out to healthcare industry thought leaders and other interested partners to elicit their input on care. We are pleased to share our findings in Reinventing Care for the most vulnerable, at risk patients. Learn more here.
A Letter from Eliot CEO Kate Markarian
September 15, 2020
Eliot has been engaging in ongoing work regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the organization. Read this letter from Eliot CEO Kate Markarian to Eliot staff regarding Eliot’s efforts on diversity and inclusion…[Read Here]
Malden YMCA supports Eliot Family Resource Center’s food pantry
April 20, 2020
The Malden YMCA has been serving the Everett, Malden and Medford communities since 1881 with programs focused on healthy living, youth development and social responsibility. Despite facility closures and program cancelations in response to the COVID-19 crisis, they have retooled their efforts to offer virtual fitness programs, regular phone check-ins with vulnerable members and a ramp-up of emergency food and meal distribution…[MORE]
New Bedford’s JoJo Goodine working with at-risk youth
April 19, 2020
Everytime he looks at his hands, JoJo Goodine is constantly reminded of his playing days at New Bedford High. And it’s a good thing.“We played the Super Bowl on the astroturf at Boston College my junior year,” said Goodine.”….[MORE]
Central Middlesex Police Partnership welcomes Jail Diversion Program clinician
July 8, 2019
The police chiefs of Acton, Bedford, Concord, Carlisle, Lincoln, Lexington, Stow, Maynard and Hanscom Air Force Base, which make up the Central Middlesex Police Partnership, announced that the Bedford Police Department has a new Jail Diversion Program clinician, Mackenzie Dezieck….[MORE]
Must-know Mental Health and Homeless Services Resources
July 3, 2019
Massachusetts librarians are fortunate to have a mental health organization to connect with for support for patrons experiencing homelessness and mental illness…[MORE]
Elm Brook Place to host first art show
June 17, 2019
Elm Brook Place, a program in Burlington serving people with mental illness, is inviting the community to a first-of-its-kind art show on June 22…[MORE]
North Reading Police Established Partnership
June 7, 2019
North Reading Police Department has dramatically increased its capacity for supporting the mental health needs of residents…[MORE]
Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund Awards Grants
May 24, 2019
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts announced that they had awarded $176,881 in grants to a total of 18 local nonprofits…[MORE]