Take a listen to our latest radio Mental Health Minute with Lori Voornas from 94.9 WHOM and Sweetser’s Justin Chenette discussing how the new 988 text/call line will help save lives.
The Spring Into Hope Fashion Show was a blast
What a night in Old Orchard Beach! Our Spring Into Hope Maine Fashion Show, organized with our friends at WMTW Channel 8, was a big hit. Together, we were able to raise over $14,000 for Sweetser. Everyone had a blast walking the runway, enjoying the live DJ music, and hopping in front of the fun photobooth.
Check out some of the highlights of the night!
Sweetser Attends Mental Health Matters 5k
On Sunday, Sweetser took part in the Mental Health Matters 5K at Greely High School in Cumberland to raise awareness for youth mental health and suicide prevention. The morning kicked off with a welcome ceremony at the school’s newly planted Hope Garden, a symbol of hope for those in mental health and substance use recovery. Dozens of students, faculty, and community members made their way to the school’s track where Sweetser and other partner organizations passed out mental health resources along the way.
Thanks to Greely High School for hosting this important event!
Great Falls Pride 2025
The Sweetser staff kicked off Pride month at the Great Falls Pride!
The event began with a parade from Festival Plaza in Auburn to Simard Payne Park in Lewiston where a festival and celebration was held. Sweetser’s team took part in the festivities, playing Giant Connect Four with the kiddos and offering warmth, acceptance, and mental health resources to festivalgoers.
The goal of the festival was to provide attendees with a safe space to express themselves and feel welcome. Many commented that Sweetser’s booth offered that level of acceptance and support. Thank you to all who made this important day possible!
Media blitz on Sweetser securing funds for Maine’s 1st PRTF
Sweetser has been in the news recently highlighting the state awarding the organization $2 million to construct and operate Maine’s first Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility on the Saco campus. See the media stories below.
WGME Channel 13
WMTW Channel 8
Bangor Daily News
“Sweetser is proud to lead the effort to bring our kids home from expensive, out-of-state care,” said Sweetser CEO Jayne Van Bramer. “Our goal over the next year will be to create a therapeutic space in Saco that families can be proud of. With this decision, the state has taken a significant step toward filling a critical gap in the continuum of care and ultimately strengthening our youth behavioral health system.”
News Center Maine
Portland Press Herald
“Being able to have an available locked residential program for children who require that level of service is long overdue,” Van Bramer said in an interview Thursday. “The absence of that has resulted in children being sent out of state, away from family, languishing in emergency rooms for weeks or months at a time.”
TV Segment: Sweetser Fashion Show
On our latest Mental Health Moment segment on WMTW Channel 8, Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement, Justin Chenette, spoke about our upcoming Spring Into Hope Fashion Show event happening in Old Orchard Beach.
Tickets available here: https://marketing.wmtw.com/springintohope2025
Sweetser Opens New Pharmacy at Brunswick Hope & Healing Center
Sweetser’s Brunswick Hope & Healing Center proudly hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony with our friends at the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the grand opening of our new full-service on-site pharmacy. Local community members, partner representatives, Sweetser team members, and our board member Jay McCreight were all there to highlight this important addition to the region.
Housing a pharmacy with our partner Genoa Healthcare at our Brunswick CCBHC will reduce barriers for our clients and strengthen the coordination between our team and the pharmacist both for treatment medication, but also overall wellbeing.
This type of partnership in other states has yielded to 90% medication adherence rates, 40% fewer hospitalizations, and 18% fewer ER visits.
Our new pharmacy will provide added convenience for clients and staff alike and will eventually open its doors to welcome the public. We deeply appreciate the hard work of our Senior Director of Community Services, Joey Rossignol, and his team in bringing this partnership together.
Our pharmacy is located at our Hope & Healing Center at 329 Bath Road in Brunswick and our hours are: 8:30am to 5pm, Monday – Friday; closed for lunch 12:30pm – 1pm.
LOCAL NEWS: Sweetser on Saco River TV
Sweetser’s Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement, Justin Chenette, appeared on the TV show Saco River Chronicles to discuss Sweetser’s latest programs and available resources for those in the area. The show is broadcast in select towns throughout York County on the Saco River Television channel. Check out this segment to hear the latest.
NEWS: WGME’s Inside Maine Show
Our Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement Justin Chenette stopped by Inside Maine’s Best with WGME’s Adrienne Stein for a segment about mental health resources and how our Hope & Healing Centers are reducing barriers to accessing care.
Watch below.
NEWS: Sweetser participates in behavioral health press conference
Recently, Sweetser’s President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer joined with other partner organizations as part of the Behavioral Health Priorities Coalition to release the legislative package we are advocating for this session. Some of our priority legislation includes bills like An Act to Expand Child Assertive Community Treatment and An Act to Provide Grants to Schools That Contract for Behavioral and Mental Health Services.
View the full legislative package below: