News for: Advocacy

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Flags symbolize solidarity, pride, and acceptance. In 2019, writer Ann Magill, who has cerebral palsy, created the original Disability Pride flag. Magill was motivated to create the flag after a less than pride-filled experience at an ADA anniversary event. The original flag featured brightly colored zigzagging stripes over a black background. The zigzag symbolized the barriers people with disabilities face....

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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!

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...

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.