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Middlesex County
Restoration Center
Commission
Year Six Findings and
Recommendations
Prepared for: Prepared by:
Clerks of the Senate and the House of Middlesex County Restoration
Representatives Center Commission
Senate Committee on Ways and Means Supported by ForHealth Consulting™ at
UMass Chan Medical School
House Committee on Ways and Means
Chelsea Thomson
Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use,
Health and Justice Policy Associate
and Recovery
Joint Committee on Health Care Financing Michael Kane
Senior Director, Criminal Justice Reform
Oct. 31, 2024
ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School
Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................... 3
Report Overview ....................................................................................... 5
Commission Processes ........................................................................... 6
Commission Meetings ............................................................................................... 6
Commission Administration ..................................................................................... 6
Commission Activities............................................................................................... 6
Guided and Supported the Procurement Processes ........................................................... 6
Identified and Operationalized Funding Sources ................................................................. 7
Visited Spaces to Inform Restoration Center Design........................................................... 7
Engaged with Leaders and Stakeholders ............................................................................ 8
Work Completed by Vendors to Operate and Support the Restoration
Center ........................................................................................................ 8
Vinfen .......................................................................................................................... 8
Restoration Center Location ............................................................................................... 8
Staffing ............................................................................................................................... 8
Clinical Specifications and Operations ................................................................................ 9
Stakeholder Engagement.................................................................................................... 9
Service Provision ...............................................................................................................10
Knowledge and Best Practices Gathering ..........................................................................10
Health Management Associates (HMA) .................................................................. 10
Task 1: Facility Siting .........................................................................................................11
Task 2: Community and Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement ......................................11
Task 3: Sustainability and Funding ....................................................................................11
Task 4: Marketing and Communications ............................................................................11
ForHealth Consulting............................................................................................... 11
Findings, Recommendations, and Implementation Timeline .............. 12
Findings and Recommendations ............................................................................ 12
Implementation Plan and Timeline ......................................................................... 12
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ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School
Introduction
The Middlesex County Restoration Center Commission (Commission), established under
Chapter 69 of the Acts of 2018, An Act Relative to Criminal Justice Reform (Act), as amended
by Section 142 of Chapter 126 of the Acts of 2022, An Act Making Appropriations for the Fiscal
Year 2023, hereby submits its Year Six (November 2023 – October 2024) findings and
recommendations to the General Court as required by the Act. The Commission has worked
since its inception to do the following:
• Investigate the gaps and needs in behavioral health and diversionary services in
Middlesex County that could prevent arrest and unnecessary emergency department
(ED) utilization among individuals with behavioral health conditions.
• Develop a service model for a Restoration Center pilot program in Middlesex County and
implement the program.
The Act tasked the Commission with planning and implementing "a county restoration center
and program to divert persons suffering from mental illness or substance disorder who interact
with law enforcement or the court system during a pre-arrest investigation of the pre-
adjudication process from lock-up facilities and hospital emergency departments to appropriate
treatment." 1 This report summarizes the activities completed in Year Six and includes an
overview of the efforts to launch the Center.
ForHealth Consulting, the healthcare consulting and operations division of UMass Chan Medical
School (UMass Chan), compiled this report on behalf of the Middlesex County Restoration
Center Commission.
Commission members included:
• Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, co-chair
• Dr. Danna Mauch, president and CEO, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health,
co-chair
• Senator Cindy Friedman, 4th Middlesex District
• Representative Kenneth Gordon, Middlesex 21st District
• Lydia Conley, president and CEO, Association for Behavioral Healthcare
• Scott Taberner, special advisor, Executive Office for Health and Human Services
• Nancy Connolly, assistant commissioner for forensic services, Department of Mental
Health
• Deirdre Calvert, director, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services
1 Chapter 69 of the Acts of 2018.
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ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School
• Eliza Williamson, director of community education and training, National Alliance on
Mental Illness of Massachusetts
• Chief Justice Paula Carey, Massachusetts Trial Court (Ret.)
• Chief Roy Frost, Billerica Police Department
• Audrey Shelto, president and CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Foundation
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ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School
Report Overview
First, this report describes activities the Commission completed in Year Six, which include the
following:
• Summary of Commission meetings held in Year Six
• Description of the work completed to launch and start services at the Restoration Center
Next, this report describes the work completed by:
• Vendor to operate the Restoration Center
• Facility siting and community engagement consultant
Finally, this report outlines findings and recommendations, which include:
• Pathways to include components of the Restoration Center within the Commonwealth’s
behavioral health roadmap
• Implementation plan and timeline for the Restoration Center pilot program
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ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School
Commission Processes
This section describes the Commission’s processes to support the launch of the Restoration
Center.
Commission Meetings
In Year Six, the Commission met twice to:
• Receive progress updates from the selected vendor, Vinfen, on implementation of the
Restoration Center;
• Discuss programmatic elements and provide feedback; and
• Brainstorm sustainability opportunities.
Commission leadership and Vinfen also met several times to share the status of the Restoration
Center, identify potential challenges, and develop solutions on certain related topics.
Commission Administration
The state’s fiscal year 2025 budget allocated funding for the Commission to the Executive Office
of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) line item 4000-0300. EOHHS continued to engage
with ForHealth Consulting through an Intergovernmental Service Agreement to manage vendors
to support and operate the Restoration Center, provide programmatic and policy guidance, and
assist with the launch of the Center.
Commission Activities
This section describes Year Six activities for the Commission.
Guided and Supported the Procurement Processes
Supported by ForHealth Consulting, the Commission and EOHHS finalized the procurement for
the Restoration Center pilot program vendor during Year Six by selecting a vendor and signing
a contract in December 2023.
Restoration Center Vendor
By the deadline for the Request for Responses, EOHHS received a single complete submission.
The response evaluation committee, comprised of Audrey Shelto, Chief Justice Paula Carey
(ret.), and Scott Taberner, met to review and discuss the proposal and evaluate it against the
criteria outlined in the RFR. Following review, ForHealth Consulting compiled the
recommendation memo, after which EOHHS and Vinfen entered the contract negotiation and
execution process.
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ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School
EOHHS and Vinfen executed the contract on December 29, 2023, and work began shortly
afterward, as outlined below. EOHHS, with support from the Commission, announced the news
via a press release and the Lowell Sun published a story.
Identified and Operationalized Funding Sources
During Year Six, Commission members continued to pursue funding opportunities to blend and
braid funding for the Restoration Center. New funding sources identified and secured included
an annual appropriation of $1.5 million in EOHHS line item 4000-0300 into the Criminal Justice
and Community Support Trust Fund in FY25.
In April, Vinfen submitted a $1.5 million request for federal congressional directed spending to
Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, with letters of support from the Commission co-
chairs. At the time of this report, that request is pending.
HMA, a project consultant, developed a sustainability plan to provide a roadmap of the potential
federal, state, and philanthropic funding sources to sustain the Restoration Center. Vinfen
reviewed the funding sources identified in the report to determine the viability and possibility of
resources from the opportunities. Sources of potential funding in the report included the
Behavioral Health Trust Fund, Opioid Remediation and Recovery Fund, Congressionally
Directed Funding, SUD Federal Reinvestment Trust Fund, 988 Legislation, Medicaid 1115
Waiver Reentry Demonstration, Jail and Arrest Diversion Grant Program, Municipal Public
Safety Reform Grant, Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, and Grants for the
Benefit of Homeless Individuals. Vinfen and EOHHS explored all options. The Department of
Mental Health’s Jail and Arrest Diversion Grant Program Request for Application includes police
drop-off centers as an allowable project. However, project staff learned that this category was
phased out on January 1, 2023, due to the launch of the Community Behavioral Health Centers
(CBHCs). 2
The Commission continued to identify and explore all funding sources to sustain the Restoration
Center pilot program financially over the next three years. For the Sober Support Unit, one of
the services without a dedicated and sustainable funding mechanism, Vinfen, EOHHS, and the
Commission brainstormed options, including Opioid Remediation and Recovery Fund resources
and a potential pathway towards third party payment via licensing. The Commission, EOHHS,
and Vinfen continue to work closely to source, apply for, and secure funding to meet the
identified needs of the Restoration Center.
Visited Spaces to Inform Restoration Center Design
In prior years, Commission members visited potential sites in the Lowell area, including sites at
the Solomon Mental Health Center visited by Danna Mauch and Scott Taberner and the Greater
Lowell Community Health Center toured by Senator Friedman, Sheriff Koutoujian, and Danna
Mauch.
2 Jail & Arrest Diversion Grant Program FY 2023 Annual Report. https://www.mass.gov/doc/fy-2023-jdp-annual-
report/download
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In February, all Commission members were invited to tour a potential site for the Restoration
Center in Lowell. Sheriff Peter Koutoujian and Scott Taberner, alongside ForHealth Consulting
staff and Vinfen, viewed the potential building location and discussed possibilities for the space.
After learning about the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Senator Cindy Friedman
solicited interest from Commission members during the January Commission meeting to tour
that space. In March, several members of the Commission, alongside ForHealth Consulting and
Middlesex Sheriff’s Office staff, visited the Health Center and discussed the similarities with the
Restoration Center and lessons learned.
Engaged with Leaders and Stakeholders
In March, Sheriff Koutoujian and Chief Roy Frost facilitated a conversation with Vinfen and 10
police chiefs who represented police departments in the greater Lowell area to inform the group
of the Restoration Center’s goals, solicit feedback, discuss concerns, and brainstorm next steps
to develop a law enforcement drop-off protocol. After the Restoration Center’s Executive
Director came on board, much of the engagement with local law enforcement and first
responders transitioned to their portfolio, as described below.
Work Completed by Vendors to Operate
and Support the Restoration Center
Vinfen
Following the contract execution in December 2023, Vinfen, EOHHS, and ForHealth Consulting
met weekly—both virtually and in-person—to discuss Center progress, navigate challenges,
engage with interested stakeholders, and brainstorm strategies to best serve the community.
Restoration Center Location
Prior to submitting their proposal in August 2023, Vinfen conducted a scan to identify potential
locations for the Restoration Center in the greater Lowell area. After reviewing more than a
dozen options, Vinfen identified one space that met the Restoration Center’s needs, including
appropriate space for service provision, feasibility of secure police drop-off without risk to other
services or programs, distance from the CBHC and other critical service locations, and place
within the community.
Once the contract between EOHHS and Vinfen was signed, Vinfen formally engaged in efforts
to secure the building, which included identifying another tenant to occupy the square footage
that would not be needed by the Restoration Center. After conversations with nearly a dozen
organizations, Vinfen moved forward in partnership with a substance use treatment provider.
Vinfen and its partner developed required construction plans in order to secure necessary
approval and permits, and anticipates those approvals by early 2025.
Staffing
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In April, Vinfen hired Joshua Nye, LMHC, to serve as the executive director of the Restoration
Center. Joshua has worked in the mental health and substance use disorder field since 2010,
primarily in the Merrimack Valley. Previously, Joshua helped develop the clinical component for
the Supporting Transitions and Reentry (STAR) program at the Essex Sheriff’s Office and most
recently worked at the Charles River Community Health Center.
In anticipation of the opening of the Center, Vinfen developed recruitment, hiring, and retention
plans and will begin hiring Restoration Center staff in 2025. In the meantime, staff from within
Vinfen contribute to developing and executing the implementation plan for the Center, including
leadership of peer-run and addictions service delivery models, experts in clinical practice
standards within Massachusetts, and nursing and medical director expertise to ensure safety
and efficient workflows for the Center when operational.
Clinical Specifications and Operations
Vinfen, alongside HMA, the MassHealth Office of Accountable Care and Behavioral Health
(ACBH), EOHHS, and ForHealth Consulting, developed draft program specifications, informed
by national best practices and standards, for the sober support unit. This support includes low-
threshold beds available to individuals who use substances but are not ready for detox services.
The group will use the pilot period to not only better understand who requests sober support
services but also possible pathways for licensure or inclusion in other MassHealth service
structures. Since signing the contract, Vinfen developed clinical workflows and processes for the
Restoration Center, aligned with national best practices and local expertise internally and at
ForHealth Consulting. Vinfen has periodically briefed Commission leadership on the progress.
Stakeholder Engagement
Vinfen launched the Lowell HUB/Situation Table in May as an upstream, integrated community-
based response to individuals with high risks and convened more than 20 people representing
more than 15 organizations.
To engage law enforcement in the development and implementation phases of the Restoration