Supporting youth and families: Reading Coalition report highlights community impact
(5-6 minute read)
The Reading Coalition for Prevention and Support (RCPS) engaged more than 3,500 residents in 2025 through prevention programs, mental health services, school partnerships, and community outreach to reduce substance misuse and support mental wellness.
Operating within the Reading Police Department, the Coalition works with schools, regional health partners, and community organizations to provide education, prevention programs, and direct clinical support.
The Coalition’s work focuses on three key goals: building community collaboration, reducing substance misuse, and promoting mental health.
Read the full RCPS 2025 report here.
More information about the Coalition is available on the Town website.
Staff & structure
The Coalition’s work is carried out by a small team of staff, clinicians, and interns.
Full-time staff includes:
Erica Maillet, Director
Jessenia Cruz, Outreach Coordinator
Taunya Jarzyniecki, Public Safety Clinician
Additional support includes Irene Griffin, a part-time child and adolescent clinician funded through opioid settlement funds, as well as interns from Reading Memorial High School, Merrimack College, and Salem State University.
Together, a team provides prevention programming, crisis response support, and clinical services throughout the community.
Funding & resources
The Coalition’s core staffing and programming are funded through the Town of Reading's Police Department budget, with additional support from grants, donations, and opioid settlement funds.
External funding sources include:
$2,000 - $4,000 annually from Young Women’s League and local donors
$86,000 in opioid settlement funds used to expand the mental health and prevention services
$7,750 subcontract funding from the City of Medford through the Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition MassCALL3B grant
These funds helped the Coalition:
Hire a part-time clinician
Expand health education programs
Improve multilingual access to mental health care
Purchase overdose response and airway management equipment
In 2025, opioid settlement funding also supported 50 NarCases for overdose response and provided equipment and training for the Reading Fire Department.
Supporting students & schools
A major focus of the Coalition’s work is supporting students' well-being in the Reading Public Schools.
Prevention programs reached hundreds of students through education, leadership programs, and direct intervention.
Highlights include:
225 students trained as Mental Health First Aiders
300 students educated through prevention workshops
10 students supported through Chemical Health Education interventions
The Coalition also helps lead student initiatives, including Rocket Leaders, student leadership projects, and career pathways programs.
Students also participated in peer-led outreach efforts, including a Student Leadership Cafe attended by 105 teens and transition programming in which high school students met with hundreds of 8th graders preparing to enter RMHS.
To better understand student needs, Coalition staff screened 500 students with school nurses and conducted listening sessions with 170 students alongside district leadership.
Clinical services & crisis response
Clinical services are provided by Taunya L> Jarzyniecki, Public Safety Clinician.
In 2025, Jarzyniecki delivered extensive support services, including:
578 case management interactions
497 individual therapy sessions
226 crisis intervention follow-ups
17 student referrals
11 home visits
9 family counseling sessions
Jarzyniecki also provided 51 mental wellness sessions for Reading Police personnel and participated in regional crisis response programs, including NEMLEC STARS, which assists schools following traumatic incidents.
The Coalition’s office also provides a welcoming therapeutic space supported by Rusty and Cooper, the Reading Police Department’s comfort dogs.
Expanding youth mental health services
A coalition needs assessment identifies barriers that children and teens face when trying to access in-person therapy.
To address this, RCPS added a Child and Adolescent Clinician position in October 2025, funded through opioid abatement funds. The clinician works 16 hours per week, helping connect youth and families with mental health services.
Mental health referral services
The Coalition partners with the William James College INTERFACE Referral Services, which helps residents connect with mental health providers
Since the partnership began in 2016, 824 Reading residents have used the service.
In 2025, 84 Reading callers sought outpatient mental health support, with about one-third returning for additional family assistance.
Common issues included trauma, abuse, suicidal ideation, OCD, learning challenges, and grief related to suicide.
Community outreach & education
The Coalition regularly participated in community events to connect residents with prevention resources.
Outeach events include:
Fall Street Faire
Downtown Trick-or-Treat
Coffee with a Cop
Reading Police Open House
Friends & Family Day
Festival of Trees
Family Gingerbread House event
The Coalition also provides education programs for adults, including Mental Health First Aid training, Narcan training, internet safety workshops for parents, and the “Hidden in Plain Sight” substance awareness exhibit.
Raising awareness
The Coalition works with community partners to raise awareness around addiction and mental health.
Each year, the Reading Select Board proclaims Overdose Awareness Day, and volunteers mark the occasion by planting thousands of flags at Town Hall.
In one effort, 30 RMHS girls volleyball players and Reading Scouts volunteers planted more than 3,000 flags to recognize those impacted by addiction.
The Coalition also hosts the “Time to Gather” event, which drew 85 participants for conversations about addiction, suicide awareness, and community healing.
Collaboration & training
The Coalition works closely with a network of local and regional partners, including:
Reading Public Schools
The Reading Police Crisis Team
Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition
NEMLEC STARS
A 15-member coalition board that meets monthly
Staff also completed more than 200 hours of professional training in 2025.
Recognizing community leaders
The Coalition also celebrates student and community leadership.
Student leaders were honored during the Reading Police Annual Awards ceremony and the RMHS Senior Awards.
Additionally, Jessenia Cruz, Reading Police Department Outreach Coordinator, and Kadi Buckley, RMHS Assistant Principal, were named 2025 Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition Community Champions.
Image from the Reading Coalition for Prevention & Support 2025 Annual Report.
