Vinfen

03/13/2026

We enjoyed participating in the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council and The Arc of Massachusetts’ 48th Annual Legislative Reception on Tuesday at the State House. The event allows attendees to connect with legislators and fellow advocates, hear from leaders within the disability community, and uplift the voices of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Congratulations to Representative of the Year, Representative Jay Livingstone and Senator of the Year, Senator Joan B. Lovely!

03/12/2026

Vice President of Communications and Development David Brown joined Jared Bowen on GBH's The Culture Show from their Boston Public Library studio yesterday to discuss the upcoming Vinfen Film Festival on March 28 taking place at GBH Studios in Boston.

Tune in to hear Jared and David chat about our featured films this year and the power of storytelling and representation for people living with mental health conditions and disabilities.

🎧: https://www.youtube.com/live/UHFVICJF9C0?t=12056s

03/12/2026

Middlesex Sheriff's Office Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian paid a visit to the Inside Lowelll Daily Pulse podcast last week to discuss the Restoration Center of Greater Lowell. Sheriff Koutoujian shared with host Teddy Panos how the Center will operate for individuals experiencing behavioral health or substance use crises, and the impact this will make on the Greater Lowell community.

Tune in to hear the full discussion.

Middlesex County Sheriff, 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐊𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐣𝐢𝐚𝐧, pays a visit to the 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞, not to clean house, but to fill us in on some of the groundbreaking programs his department is engaged in and the current state of his correctional ...

03/11/2026

🎞️Get your tickets before it’s too late! https://bit.ly/VFF2026

ASD Band: The Movie follows the inspiring journey of a groundbreaking musical group made up of talented musicians on the autism spectrum. The film offers an inside look at the band’s creative process, friendships, challenges, and triumphs as they work together to share their music with the world. It’s a powerful story about inclusion, self-expression, and the transformative power of music.

After ASD Band: The Movie is screened, the film will be followed by a short documentary The Beautiful Worlds of David Riley, a panel discussion on both, AND a very special performance by our own Plymouth Bay House’s band Set in Stone! You won’t want to miss it.

03/10/2026

🎼 Get tickets today! https://bit.ly/4cwudmi

Join Vinfen for a sublime night of classical music on Friday, May 8, when the Longwood Symphony Orchestra presents Mahler 1, an evening of choral and orchestral offerings at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

The program for the concert will include Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.1, in D minor, as well as the world premiere of a piece by composer Heather Hyo Eun Ahn, commissioned specifically by the LSO.

Your $65 ticket will include a pre-show reception with the conductor at 6:45 p.m., exclusively for members of the extended Vinfen community, with ticket sales benefiting Vinfen and the critical work we do.

03/06/2026

Representatives from the Vinfen Innovation Team and Vinfen Connecticut visited a model smart home by Living Without Limits Org in Connecticut for people living with disabilities. We learned about the very broad range of technologies that can be employed to support independence and accessibility in daily living including sensors, cook top shut offs, voice-activated lights and blinds, wearables, text-to-speech devices, medication dispensers, smart speakers, and safety buttons.

To learn more, visit https://livingwithoutlimits.org/smart-home-2/.

03/05/2026

The Restoration Center of Greater Lowell will open in April as a community-based alternative to emergency rooms and incarceration for people experiencing mental health or substance use crises. Developed through a seven-year collaboration led by the Middlesex County Restoration Center Commission, the center is designed to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.

By offering coordinated services — including peer support, stabilization, detox, case management, and recovery planning — the Center will improve outcomes while reducing strain on police, EMS, and local hospitals. The model could also serve as a blueprint for other Massachusetts communities.

Read the full op-ed for The Sun News by Middlesex Sheriff's Office Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, Vinfen President and CEO Jean Yang, and President & CEO of Spectrum Health Systems, Inc. Kurt Isaacson: https://vinfen.org/new-model-enhances-the-mental-health-continuum-of-care/

03/04/2026

We're excited for this year's Impact Summit! We look forward to hearing from Chief Strategy Officer Kim Shellenberger and other members of this important panel discussion.

NAMI Mass is excited to announce that our annual Impact Summit will be held on Friday, March 20, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Cambridge Savings Bank (81 Wyman St, Waltham, MA 02451). 🎉 This summit will reflect on all our accomplishments from 2025, share where we are headed next, and feature a lively panel discussion moderated by our Deputy Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Communications, Jacqueline Hubbard, Esq.

As part of the program, the panel will take a deeper look at the challenges facing our mental health system. The mental health system is severely strained, with chronic underinvestment, limited treatment and housing capacity, and rising court-ordered admissions from the criminal justice system restricting timely access to needed community and inpatient care. The discussion will explore how unmet demand for long-term services is straining the system and contributing to ongoing access challenges and incarceration among people with serious mental health conditions. 🧠

Space is limited. Please visit our website to learn more and RSVP: https://namimass.org/2026-impact-summit/

03/04/2026

Vinfen Behavioral Health recently participated in a very successful fundraiser for Lowell's Alternative House where we donated 5 self-care raffle baskets.

Here is a fun photo with Liz Brown, Alternative House’s engagement and events coordinator, Julie Manzer, Vinfen’s director of community behavioral health programs, and Alternative House’s Executive Director Maria Crooker-Capone.

Alternative House offers shelter and crisis support for women and children experiencing domestic violence. We were honored to be part of such a wonderful event for the Lowell community!

03/03/2026

🎞️ Get your tickets today: https://bit.ly/VFF2026

We are so excited to be featuring Patrice: The Movie at this year’s Film Festival; it’s a powerful and deeply human story that shines a light on love, resilience, and the fight for equity.

We hope you will join us on March 28 at GBH Studios in Boston for this special screening, where you’ll also get to hear from Patrice and Garry during our panel discussion after the film!

03/02/2026

📢 Spread the word – we are hosting a virtual hiring event TOMORROW for the new Restoration Center of Greater Lowell, which opens in April!

➡️ Register for a virtual interview today: https://bit.ly/4rAIlzt
❓ For any questions, please email recruiters@vinfen.org

02/27/2026

Building healthy relationships starts with the right foundation. 💙

We’re so excited our inaugural workshop went so well a few weeks ago that we will continue partnering with Find Love Safely to offer a monthly educational workshop focused on friendship, communication, dating basics, and healthy relationships — with safety, consent, and boundaries built into every session. The workshop will take place the first Tuesday of every month.

Live virtual sessions are led by Founder & CEO Katherine Gyolai and include interactive skill-building and caregiver resources. This is educational and skill-based (not therapy).

Learn more by emailing FamilySupport@vinfen.org.