Lynn mental health center founder honored

LYNN – State officials and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology on Tuesday honored Dr. Stephen D. Hayes who nearly 40 years ago founded community mental health services in Lynn when none existed.Hayes, 63, of Salem, used a government grant in 1971 to create services for the city’s many residents in need. At the time, most mental health emergency patients were seen at hospitals like Massachusetts General in Boston or confined to state mental institutions.”With a $150,000 grant from the Model Cities administration funds through (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) I was allowed to realize my dreams of establishing a walk-in mental health service that didn’t charge fees nor require appointment and was open in the evenings and on Saturdays,” said Hayes. “The grant money paid for two professionals, several outreach staff and set-up operations in a grassroots storefront with 900 square feet of space.”Today, that fledgling social experiment thrives as the non-profit Lynn Community Health Center, headquartered at 269 Union St. A comprehensive health-care program, it is annually responsible for 170,000 patient visits. The center provides care to 35,000 individual patients – one in every three Lynn residents – who collectively speak 25 languages. Of those patients, about 3,500 receive mental health services.According to Hayes, now in his 39th year with the organization, things were far different when he set up shop in Lynn. “When we first started up, the medical community in Lynn was threatened by our presence, the arrival of an alternative medical service. In fact, we were told that if we hired a physician, that person would not be given privileges at the hospital,” Hayes recalled. “But we had free rein to set up mental health services because nobody else was doing that. And at the time, a Ralph Nader report indicated that de-institutionalization was not working.”Shortly before coming to Lynn, Hayes worked at the former Danvers State Hospital, so he was familiar with its patient population. “We set up a bridge clinic at Lynn Hospital to follow those patients who were discharged,” he said.Over the years, Hayes and his colleagues have trained generations of psychologists, physicians and other health-care workers to provide the needs of the under-served public. At the close of 2008, the health center had 40 behavioral health staff members and 12 trainees.Hayes was honored Tuesday during a ceremony at the State House. As part of the special recognition, the Dr. Stephen D. Hayes Community Mental Health Project was inaugurated at the School of Professional Psychology – a project designed to encourage graduates to apply to the federal student loan forgiveness program in exchange for service in a community mental health setting.State Sen. Richard Moore, the keynote speaker and a longtime friend, praised Hayes for his devotion to the poor and under-served. “Steve Hayes exemplifies just the kind of person that the community needs to address the mental health challenges of these times. He has the compassion, understanding, humor and total commitment required to deal with the trauma, substance abuse and other issues facing families, adults, teens and children in our communities today,” said Moore. “Steve is someone who knows how to work on the real problems of everyday people who can’t afford private counseling.”Dr. Nicholas Covino, president of the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, described Hayes as a dedicated healer and pioneer while pointing out the current shortage of psychologists and mental health providers.Covino said the shortage is critical in Massachusetts, where only 3,132 mental health providers exist for a population of 80 million, when 5,352 are needed, based on federal standards.In an effort to address the shortage, the state Department of Mental Health is working with professional health organizations to encourage students to enter the field in return for college loan forgiveness.Ha