CARING FOR LOWELL. CARING FOR YOU.
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Young Mari's Journey to Overcome Abuse Aided by Behavioral Health Services
 Mari is 10 years old and she loves her grandmother and is adjusting to her new home. Life at home and in school has not always been easy for Mari. When she was eight, she was uprooted from her home in Brazil. Mari's parents were both addicted to alcohol, and emotionally and physically abusive. Social services in Brazil found her grandmother, Elisa, who was living in the U.S. Elisa welcomed Mari into her home and a new country, but the challenges they faced were enormous.
Mari didn't speak English well, had to adjust to living in a new country and going to a new school, while working through the trauma she experienced living with her parents in Brazil. Mari was acting out. She was defiant at home with her grandmother, couldn't control her emotions at school, and was bullying other children. Mari's behavior was jeopardizing her citizenship application. Her grandmother, Elisa, was fearful that she would lose her. Elisa confided in a friend who told her about Paulo, a Portuguese-speaking child therapist at Lowell Community Health Center.
Paulo was able to counsel Elisa and Mari in family therapy sessions in the Health Center's Pediatric Medicine department. Paulo spoke to Mari in Portuguese while she worked to improve her English. Paulo, Elisa, and Mari talked about setting limits, anger, and her feelings about the trauma she experienced. Slowly, Mari's mood and behavior improved.
Today, Mari is thriving in school, much more confident in speaking English, closer to her grandmother, and on a path to become a permanent citizen. Mari and her grandmother continue family therapy with Paulo, and Mari is beginning to accept her past and working towards a better future.
Names, ages, and cultural backgrounds have been changed to personal privacy.
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Transformation Tours: Join Us for an Inside Glimpse of How We Care for Lowell
Learn about the Health Center's impact on the local community, and view the state-of-the-art facility located in one of Lowell's historic mill structures. Join us for a tour, hear patient stories, meet employees, and discover how you can help the Health Center continue to care for Lowell for generations to come.
UPCOMING TOURS
Thursday, May 29, 2014
8:00am - 9:00am
Thursday, June 12, 2014
8:00am - 9:00am
Call 978-746-7867, or e-mail, to RSVP for a tour date.
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Host Your Board Meeting at the Health Center's New Facility
Are you looking for a place to host your organization's board meeting? The new Health Center has professional meeting space including conference and training rooms with the latest presentation technology and beautiful views of the city. Ample parking is available directly across the street in a municipal garage.
Consider hosting your meeting at our new location, and learning more about how the Health Center Cares for Lowell.
Call 978-746-7870 for more information.
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Monthly Health Highlight: May is Mental Health Month
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.
Learn more about mental health by visiting the MentalHealth.gov website.
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Boathouse for Breast Cancer Fundraiser A Tremendous Success
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Members of the Boathouse 4 Breast Cancer fundraising team meet with Family Planning staff to present proceeds from breast cancer fundraiser.
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On Saturday, April 26th, the Boathouse for Breast Cancer Fundraiser generated a total of $8,200 in community contributions for patients at Lowell Community Health Center receiving breast cancer education and screening services. The fundraiser was supported by dozens of local musicians, businesses, and sponsors.
The success of the event can be credited to the hard work and dedication of Rosalynd Danley Morse, who motivated a group of volunteers to organize the fundraiser. Rosalynd is a champion of breast cancer fundraising, and organizes an event each year. It was especially important to Rosalynd that the contributions be put to use locally to help women in Lowell and the Merrimack Valley. The Health Center is grateful for the work that Rosalynd undertook to make the event such a success. Our patients will benefit from her conviction and kindness.
Rosalynd's efforts illustrate how a small group of people can have a tremendous impact.
You can support the Health Center's fundraising efforts by:
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Behavoiral Health Services for Integrated Health Care
Lowell Community Health Center doesn't just provide quality primary and specialty care medical services, comprehensive behavioral health services are also available for people of all ages. Our wide-range of services are designed to provide care and promote wellness for those who are concerned about mental health issues, as well as addiction.
Like the Health Center's medical services, behavioral health services support cultural diversity and clinical excellence. With a team of bicultural, bilingual clinicians, treatment is provided for children, adolescents and adults through individual, group, couple, and family therapy sessions.
Behavioral health services are fully integrated into the Health Center's primary care medicine practices. Mental health clinicians are available to meet with patients and their families in crisis during a routine medical visit, or to setup a screening and appointment for non urgent matters.
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