Center for Human Development (CHD)

This is a great opportunity for a high-energy, detail-oriented EHR Application Analyst to join our dynamic Enterprise Applications Platform (EAP) team. Read more at https://lnkd.in/e5dqZSrp.

The Heron House, CHD’s new Enhanced Medical Group Living Environment program in East Longmeadow, will provide a variety of skilled healthcare and supportive services, including nursing and hands-on personal care to persons with serious mental illness in addition to compounding medical needs. #EastLongmeadow #EastLongmeadowMA #EndOfLifeCare #nursing

Residents of CHD’s Grace House in #Northampton, one of the few residential treatment programs designed for moms in western Massachusetts, recently collaborated on an art exhibit in their front entryway entitled “The Faces of Recovery.” They were led by Grace House Family Therapist Hilda Mercado, who facilitated and installed the project. #recoveryispossible #recovery #FamiliesRecoverTogether #FamilyRecovery #arttherapy

CHD’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Hampden County is seeking new volunteers to serve as advocates for children in need in the community. There will be virtual information sessions on the following Wednesdays, 7:00-8:00 p.m. (via Zoom): January 8, January 22, February 5, February 19, and March 5. These sessions will help prospective volunteers learn more about the role in advance of the program’s next round of training. Through one-on-one advocacy, the CASA program works with Springfield and Holyoke Juvenile Courts to improve stability, opportunities, and permanency outcomes for children with active Care and Protection cases. Read more and register for an info session at https://bit.ly/CHDCasa. #fostercaresupport #FosterCareYouth #fostercare

CHD’s All In Youth and Adult Recreation Sled Hockey is hosting its 15th Annual Cammer Cup sled hockey games on Monday, January 20, when its teams will face off against local celebrities on at the MassMutual Center. Do not miss this opportunity to support the Springfield Thunderbirds Sled Hockey team, have some fun watching local sled-brities, and raise funds for CHD's All In: Barrier-Free Recreation Program. Your $20 Cammer Cup ticket also gets you exclusive access to the AHL Thunderbirds vs. Bridgeport game at 3:05 p.m.—played after the sled hockey games. The Cammer Cup action starts at noon! #sledhockey #adaptiveathletes

Staff from CHD's Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, along with BBBS volunteer “bigs,” “littles,” and their families were warmed by hot cocoa, pizza, and one another’s company at their recent annual gingerbread event. The festivities took place at the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management. We are grateful to all the students of the School’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the national society for financial information students and professionals, which assisted in the gingerbread house and cookie-making—as well as the merry-making!

Chelsea Ireland, warehouse coordinator at the Springfield Rescue Mission Inc., recently brought in some puzzles, games, and winter hats for individuals served in our Adult Mental Health programs—a much appreciated donation to a population that can be overlooked at times during the holidays.

CHD has been delivering 1,000 winter coats that our agency purchased for individuals served in our programs. Pictured at our Corporate Office on Birnie Avenue in Springfield are Veronica Tavernier and Liz Rodriguez from our Diversion, Shelter, and Housing program picking some of them up for residents of our Belmont Shelter in Springfield.

A generous PeoplesBank grant is providing youth in CHD’s Transitional Independent Living (TILP) program, including Samantha (pictured), some of the tools they need to begin their lives outside the foster care system. #fostercaresupport #FosterCareYouth #fostercare

Dr. Kandice Jones, a mental health counselor at CHD’s Adult Mental Health-Springfield, was featured in a story on WWLP-22News. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant, she relied on her family, support system, and determination to reach her goals. This past May, she earned her Doctorate of Education in Mental Health Counseling from American International College, receiving a standing ovation when she reached this new milestone. “Just because we’re given a diagnosis doesn’t mean we have to be defined by it,” she said.