Monday, August 3, 2026
This piece ran in the Salem News on July 31, 2026. By Christopher Tuttle For more than half a century, our nation has moved steadily toward a simple but powerful principle: people with disabilities deserve the same opportunity as everyone else to live, work, and participate in their communities. Beginning with the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1970s, we started to...
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Tuesday, November 4, 2025
From the Arc of Massachusetts: Your Advocacy Is Needed Now: Critical State Budget Advocacy Please contact Governor Maura Healey today to share our community’s priorities for the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) state budget: Click here to take ACTION! Each year, the Governor proposes a state budget in January. That proposal, which is being shaped and drafted now, serves as the...
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Monday, August 25, 2025
Thank you to Department of Developmental Services (DDS) Commissioner Sarah Peterson, members of her Central Office leadership team, and Kelly Lawless and Jennifer Killeen from the Northeast Region, for visiting our Rosewood and Roseway Day Programs in Danvers in August! Our team enjoyed highlighting the programs and the progress being made by the individuals and staff at these programs each...
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Friday, June 20, 2025
The United States is burning. Not with literal flames, but with a deep and growing fear of the future. As the fire spreads, fueled by economic strain, aging infrastructure, and worsening inequality, the U.S. House — in passing a budget designed to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest – has turned off the hose, cut off the water supply, and...
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Tuesday, May 13, 2025
The Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP) awards Continuing Education Scholarships of $1,000 at its annual LEAD! Conference, recognizing entry-level human service workers or self-advocates demonstrating a commitment to advancing their education. Congratulations to Bridgewell Direct Support Professional Hamuza Sebunya for receiving one of four scholarships awarded at the conference this year! He will be using this scholarship to continue his education...
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Thursday, May 8, 2025
Representative Thomas Walsh worked with Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg to claim close to $8,000 for Bridgewell through the Unclaimed Property Division. He stopped by the Headquarters earlier this week to present the check to Bridgewell President & CEO Chris Tuttle. “I was pleased to work together with Chris and Treasurer Goldberg identifying the accounts belonging to...
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Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Last month, Bridgewell intern Naguy Priscille Nseka Nsingi attended an Urban Youth Collaborative event at the Massachusetts State House with Bridgewell’s Retention and Recruitment Manager Brad Bitler. The Urban Youth Collaborative Program (UYCP) places high school and college interns in provider agencies, such as Bridgewell, as well as state-operated programs, and developmental centers across the Commonwealth in jobs providing support...
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Thursday, August 22, 2024
August 2024’s Featured Artist Artist: Chad Mitchell Piece: “Peter the Parrot” Agency: Bridgewell Chad Mitchell loves to color with markers and paint in his free time. He got into artwork more during the beginning of the pandemic and he has a large bulletin board in his apartment to display some of it! Chad also enjoys cooking and baking, and has...
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Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Our very first regional #CaringForceRally was a huge success! Over 200 people rallied to speak about the workforce crisis and low wages in the sector. Bridgewell, worked with other partners Centerboard, Incompass Human Services, Justice Resource Institute, The Key Program Inc., NFI Massachusetts, Inc., Northeast Arc, Plummer Youth Promise, Vinfen, and Wayside Youth & Family Support Network hosted the event!...
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Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Action Alert: We Need Your Help Through the support of the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, Bridgewell needs your help! Advocates have been working hard to pass legislation in Massachusetts (S. 760/ H. 2006) to increase reimbursement rates to mental health clinics. These bills are before the legislature’s Health Care Finance Committee and its Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee....
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Tuesday, May 3, 2022
URGENT ADVOCACY ALERT It is state budget season and Bridgewell needs your help. We are actively advocating for the state of Massachusetts to increase our funding so we can increase wages for our direct care staff. Governor Baker has allocated $230 million to Chapter 257, the budget line item that funds our services. Along with other community-based human services...
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Thursday, September 30, 2021
We need your help – strength in numbers. Last week, Collaborative members presented testimony to the committee on our three-pronged funding proposal for American Rescue Plan Act funds, which includes: $174 million per year over five years for funding to support recruitment/retention initiatives in the human services workforce $27 million over five years for a student loan repayment program; and...
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Monday, September 30, 2019
On September 27, at Peabody City Hall, community members from Bridgewell, Centerboard, Key Program, LifeLinks, Class, NFI Massachusetts, Northeast Arc and Wayside hosted the Northeast Human Service Advocacy Legislative Breakfast: Caring for Those Who Care. The breakfast discussed the pay inequity in the community-based human services sector between state and private workers. An entry-level state social worker with a bachelor’s degree...
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Monday, September 30, 2019
Good morning. Thank you for allowing me to speak today and share my experiences and views on the negative effect of the significant wage gap between public and private sector employees doing the same work. My name is Dan Nadeau, and I have been in the field for 21 years, exclusively in the private sector, working with developmentally and intellectually...
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Monday, April 1, 2019
April is Autism Awareness Month and today is World Autism Awareness Day! Learn more about Bridgewell’s Autism Services: http://ow.ly/GRjP50oLj8G
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Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) is the nation’s self-advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure that people with disabilities are treated as equals and that they are given the same choices, rights, responsibilities, and chances to speak up to empower themselves, opportunities to make new friends and to learn from their mistakes. Bridgewell self-advocates Dianna, Flo, Justin and Bill attended the...
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Thursday, May 18, 2017
From the National Alliance on Mental Illness: People experiencing mental health conditions often face rejection, bullying and even discrimination. This can make their journey to recovery longer and more difficult. Stigma is when someone, or you yourself, views you in a negative way because you have a mental health condition. Some people describe stigma as shame that can be felt...
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Tuesday, December 13, 2016
For over 30 years, the Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) has been the leading advocacy organization in Massachusetts’ mental health and addiction services arena. Fighting for high-quality, community-based care for families and individuals with mental illness, addiction and substance-use disorders, ABH provides leadership and statewide coordination on important public policy, financing, preferred clinical models and quality assurance issues. ABH is...
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016
By Mark S. Kennard, Executive Director of Project COPE Featured in Lynn Daily Item on November 2, 2016. Voters have a critical decision this November on whether to legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. Even those who advocate for the use of marijuana for medical purposes should carefully consider the full impact of legalizing the sale of marijuana for recreational use....
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Tuesday, September 13, 2016
National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) is a national observance held every September to educate Americans that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who...
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Thursday, September 17, 2015
Held in conjunction with National Recovery Month, Project COPE, an affiliate of Bridgewell, held an open house on September 14 at our new clinic on 66 Silsbee Street in Lynn. Since 1970, Project COPE has been a leading provider of community-based prevention, education and treatment for individuals and their families struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Project COPE merged with...
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Thursday, April 16, 2015
Hosted by the Citizen’s Advisory Board of the Metro North Area office of the Department of Developmental Services and Bridgewell Last week, in timing with Autism Awareness month, Citizen’s Advisory Board (CAB) of the Metro North Area office of the Department of Developmental Services hosted a Legislative Breakfast at Bridgewell’s Rosewood Drive Day Habilitation Center. Pictured: Matthew, who shared his experience...
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Monday, April 6, 2015
Bridgewell was proud to sponsor the 2015 ADDP Annual Conference & Expo, which was held on March 27. In addition to being an event sponsor, several members of the Bridgewell community attended the conference. Pictured Above: Keynote Speaker Tatyana McFadden, 2014 Sochi Paralympian Silver Ski Champion, poses with Bridgewell’s Kelly Pottie. Members of the Bridgewell community were recognized with 2015...
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Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Rosewood Parent: Cathy Johnson Below is a snippet from a 2013 video. Connor was one of the first individuals to attend our Rosewood Drive program. Update Since Filming: “Eighteen months after we recorded that video, Connor continues to make great progress at Rosewood. Bridgewell has expanded their autism program and recently opened Rosewood II, where Connor is now working at...
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Monday, March 16, 2015
On March 9, twenty-three Bridgewell Self-Advocates and staff members attended The Arc of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council’s 37th Annual Legislative Reception at the Massachusetts State House. Self-Advocates Patty and Aaron pose for a photo above. The Legislative Reception serves as an opportunity for individuals with disabilities, family members, advocates, public officials and legislative staff to meet and...
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Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Earlier this month, more than 600 members of The Caring Force including many Bridgewell individuals and staff members flooded the State House with a sea of gold and showed just how important it is that legislators invest in human service programs and workers. To learn more about The Caring Force, click here!
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014
By July 2015, Department of Developmental Services plans to phase out all center-based (sheltered) workshops. This is to encourage individuals with disabilities to work in the community. Last month, Bridgewell staff and the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services held a discussion to learn more about community employment opportunities. Day Services Supervisor Victoria Jasper discussed Bridgewell’s plan to adopt the...
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Thursday, March 20, 2014
Earlier this month, Bridgewell individual Anthony (pictured above) participated in the FY15 budget hearing organized by the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Ways & Means. He attended with The Caring Force, who filled about 30 percent of the room. Anthony listened very attentively and he later asked, “Are they going to provide more money?” Great work, Anthony! In total over the last...
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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
April 2013 Earlier this month, more than 40 Bridgewell staff and individuals attended The Caring Force’s State House Rally in Boston! Pictured above, left to right: Sporting their Caring Force t-shirts. < Back to Blog landing page.
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