Harold Grinspoon Advances Future of Mental Health through Donation

The role of psychiatry in our society has become even more prominent in the past five years. From the pandemic reshaping the world to an increased need in behavioral health providers, especially for children and young adults, mental health can be found among news headlines daily.

For Harold Grinspoon, it is important that the resources are available to meet the psychiatry needs of the residents of western Massachusetts. Grinspoon is the founder of public and private foundations that bear his name and is a signatory to the Giving Pledge, a movement of philanthropists who commit to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

As a result of this dedication, he made a generous donation to Baystate Health Foundation to create the Harold Grinspoon Endowed Chair of Psychiatry. Dr. Barry Sarvet, chair of the Department of Psychiatry, will be the inaugural holder of this prestigious position.

Proceeds from this endowed gift will support this role in perpetuity, allowing the chair holder to utilize the funds to further excellence in patient care, education, and research at Baystate Health. Each year, the chair can choose the areas they feel will most benefit from an infusion of financial support.

“One of our biggest challenges in mental health today is access to treatment. Many individuals with serious mental health needs are simply not receiving the care that they deserve. We need to build a larger clinical workforce, continue to educate the public to address mental health stigma, and improve our systems to make them easier to access.” shared Dr. Sarvet.

For Dr. Sarvet, the solution starts with investments in clinical education, recruitment, and professional development of existing clinical staff. He also plans to utilize proceeds from the endowment to continue advancing models of collaboration between mental health providers and other helping professionals, including medical and pediatric colleagues, teachers, and community health workers. This supports his view that mental health is everybody’s business, not just that of specialists.

“The ‘active ingredient’ for most mental health treatments is people: the human connection, the healing relationship, the compassion, and understanding that kind, intelligent, and well-trained people can offer to others who need it,” said Dr. Sarvet. “Thanks to Harold, we will have more resources to invest in our people to better serve our community.”