BPHC outlines behavioral health workforce expansion, school pilots and training partnerships

The Boston Public Health Commission told councilors it is expanding behavioral-health workforce development and school-based interventions to address gaps in culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said the commission launched a Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness and has prioritized workforce development because the city lacks enough culturally and linguistically diverse providers. She described partnerships with UMass Boston and Franciscan Children's Hospital that have trained 238 clinicians and fellows: 53 fellows in UMass Boston's mental health counseling program, 160 in a therapeutic mentoring certificate program, six school psychologists in training and placements of clinicians at schools through Franciscan.

BPHC described pilot trauma-informed school transformation at 10 Boston Public Schools (five elementary and five high schools) and a youth-focused anti-stigma campaign. The commission also highlighted the Men's Health Initiative, funded in FY24, which exceeded its FY25 enrollment target (93 clients served against a 45-client goal).

Councilors raised concerns about staff recruitment and retention, public-health nurse vacancies and residency requirements; Ojikutu said the commission is working with labor and city hiring teams and will provide more detailed staffing and vacancy data. The commission said it is piloting a performance-management system and running a consortium for professional development to strengthen supervisory and managerial skills across the agency.