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September 18, 2024 2024 Giving Guide

Sweetser

 

Jayne Van Bramer, President and CEO, Sweetser

Expanding mental health support 

Sweetser envisions a world where mental health stigma is eliminated and access to treatment and recovery is possible for all. We achieve this vision grounded in our organizational values of respect, integrity, commitment, compassion, and hope.

Our wide range of community-based mental health, recovery, and educational services are designed to meet the ever-changing needs of Mainers through evidence-based support. The core of what we do centers around serving children and families since the early 1800’s, when our nonprofit was founded as a children’s orphanage.

We reach every corner of our state. Last year, Sweetser…

• Fielded 26,000+ support phone calls

• Provided 14,000+ Mainers treatment

• Conducted over 4,000 mobile crisis interventions

• Helped over 2,000 children and their families access therapy at school

We recently launched a new community-based children’s mental health program called Child ACT. It’s the only such program in the entire state and fills a critical gap in serving youth. After opening a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Sanford earlier this year, our focus will be on opening a similar walk-in care clinic for mental health and recovery services in Lewiston. This model is being touted by the Federal government as the future of the behavioral health system and Sweetser is the Maine leader on expanding this service model.

Last year, Sweetser provided nearly $1 million in care to individuals and families in need of mental health services who didn’t have the ability to pay. This included Mainers who were uninsured and underinsured. While it speaks to who we are, it also speaks to the immense need across our state.

The last thing Maine families should have to think about when it comes to addressing their own mental health challenges or the mental health needs of their children, is the cost of care. That should not be a barrier to getting help.

Nonprofits like ours rely on the generosity of community members like you to make support possible and to deliver hope to more Mainers in need. That’s why Sweetser started the Mental Health Matters Fund to ensure treatment is available regardless of someone’s ability to cover the cost of care. Every family and every child deserves access to evidence-based treatment and support, but we can’t do it without you. Through event sponsorships, corporate partnerships, grants, and general donations, we are able to meet this critical moment of need for Mainers across our state.

While the stigma attached to seeking professional help is decreasing, there is still a long way to go to stabilize our system of care, reduce waitlists, expand services to more areas of the state, and ensure a quality workforce is available when the call comes in for service. Sweetser will continue being out front to lead on these issues.

It’s in all of our best interests to ensure mental health support reaches the people who need it most. Recovery is possible and hope is available.