Pawtucket, RI – Tides Family Services held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to officially launch the NEXO Center for Mental and Behavioral Health (NEXO Centro de Salud Mental y de la Conducta), its new behavioral health center designed to serve multicultural communities, at 242 Dexter St. in Pawtucket. The Center, established in partnership with Community Care Alliance, delivers community-based and outpatient mental health services to children, regardless of insurance status. NEXO offers a welcoming environment that promotes health by connecting multicultural communities to an array of community-based services.
“We are excited to provide a community-based approach that addresses the unique needs of families and the community,” said Beth Lemme-Bixby, chief executive officer of Tides Family Services. “This approach is critical to reducing health disparities and moving toward health equity. Our goal is to go beyond traditional psychiatry and outpatient care to deliver services centered around trust.”
With funding from the June Rockwell Levy Foundation and the Pappitto Opportunity Connection, NEXO will embrace the cultural components critical to delivering behavioral health treatment in communities of color, according to Lemme-Bixby. “This support allows us to offer more sustainable opportunities for individuals in communities previously overlooked and under-resourced,” she noted. “We will consider social determinants of health in developing programs designed to eliminate the barriers that hinder access to care.”
Tides Family Services and Community Care Alliance are working together at NEXO to maximize resources in addressing the community’s behavioral health needs.
“More people are in need of mental health aid but don’t always know where to find it or how to pay for it. This initiative will make mental health care more accessible, attainable, and affordable. I am proud to help launch NEXO, expanding access to behavioral health care and services, particularly in underserved communities,” said Senator Reed, who helped create the new ‘988’ mental health crisis hotline which went live in July. “I congratulate Tides Family Services and the Community Care Alliance for collaborating to get this done.”
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Tides on this important initiative,” said Ben Lessing, president and chief executive officer of Community Care Alliance. “Collectively, our objective is to develop a more multicultural behavioral health system that is accessible and responsive to the needs of children and families. The team that will comprise this program will be instrumental in moving this vision forward.”
NEXO uses evidence-based treatments to provide integrated care that addresses chronic and toxic stress. Board-certified pediatric psychiatrist Ornella Potter, MD leads the clinical team, which includes a director of BIPOC behavioral health and a team of promotores de salud (community health workers) who provide health education and outreach services in Spanish-speaking communities.
“We know that receiving health information from trusted messengers within the community helps clients navigate the language and cultural barriers they may face in accessing services,” said Dr. Potter. “Our goal is to be there for families in times of crisis, to provide timely treatment and to empower individuals to make commitments that preserve families.”
