River Valley Counseling Center leaves Valley Health, aligns with ServiceNet
BY EMILEE KLEIN
DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
FRIDAY, JULY 25TH, 2025
NORTHAMPTON — At the beginning of July, River Valley Counseling Center left its parent organization Valley Health Services and launched a new partnership with ServiceNet to better leverage resources during an unpredictable future for mental and behavioral health services.
“It just made a lot of sense for River Valley to partner with more a behavioral health organization than a medical organization with what may be hard times with cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and to federal programs for our clients,” said Elaine Campbell, vice president of Clinical Services at ServiceNet.
Established in 1953, River Valley Counseling Center provides mental health treatment in 11 school districts and five clinics throughout Hampshire and Hampden counties. The 350 staff members run outpatient clinics in Holyoke, Chicopee, Easthampton, Springfield and Westfield; student services in at least 90 schools and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides in-person support to many local municipalities and businesses.
Campbell, who previously served as assistant executive director of River Valley, described the transition as “quite dynamic and exciting.”
“It’s a match that’s really perfect for both organizations,” she continues. “It doesn’t come along often that you have a synergy that these two organizations do.”
ServiceNet began in 1965 in reaction to changes in mental health care at the Northampton State School. Now the Northampton-based nonprofit runs several residential support and clinical programs addressing mental, emotional and physical health with over 2,500 staff.
“Each of us will offer greater access to mental health treatment for the people we serve, sharing our knowledge and infrastructure as well as our values,” said Bruno Calouro, president and CEO of ServiceNet. “And in the constantly changing landscape of mental health funding, this new affiliation will help assure greater stability for the programs our communities rely on.”
While working out the kinks, more and more opportunities for staff collaboration and client services continue to appear. Campbell adds that River Valley clients can now access ServiceNet’s diverse offerings in housing and counseling for individuals with intellectual or physical disabilities. Also, the partnership adds five more clinics to River Valley’s existing portfolio.
“If we have a client that moves from Holyoke to Greenfield and wants to be seen in person, we can connect them to a ServiceNet clinician in the Greenfield area and there is not as much disruption,” Campbell said.
River Valley, Campbell adds, brings expertise in running outpatient clinics that could boost ServiceNet’s current model. Most of these clinics run at a deficit each year, but River Valley has pioneered ways to break even and pay staff livable wage without sacrificing quality care, leaders said.
“If ServiceNet has a child that River Valley services in schools, we can refer a child and help a family even faster by having access to those ServiceNet services,” Campbell said.
Campbell adds that she is grateful to River Valley’s former parent company, Valley Health Services, for helping them grow tremendously. The organization’s budget has tripled from just under $10 million to $32 million in about a decade.
Spiros Hatiras, president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems, said in a statement that River Valley’s transition of membership will enable all the entities to focus on what they do best and strengthen the core services they provide.
“Valley Health Systems is proud to have developed and supported River Valley Counseling Center and the success the organization has achieved in meeting the growing mental health needs of our community,” he said. “We look forward to expanding the collaboration opportunities we have with both River Valley Counseling Center and ServiceNet.”
Emilee Klein can be reached at [email protected].
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