EASTHAMPTON — The Center for Human Development (CHD) has moved its outpatient behavioral health clinic from Northampton Street to a bigger, more central location in the heart of Easthampton.

The clinic’s new location at 65 Union St. not only nearly doubles the size of the clinic’s space, but officials hope the new space will also enable them to offer increased accessibility to mental health and substance use services.

The property was previously the site of Manchester Hardware, which sat vacant for some time before CHD began construction. At an open house on Wednesday, city officials lauded the new and improved clinic for its transformation of the site and its proximity to public transportation. State Rep. Dan Carey, who grew up in Easthampton, recalled the central role that the property has historically played in the community.

“I bought more paintbrushes and whiffle balls on this property than anyone can imagine,” Carey laughed, recalling his time frequenting Manchester Hardware. “As it sat vacant, it got uglier and uglier.”

But now, Carey said the space has become something “beautiful,” especially because of the services it will provide to those in need.

“There’s really not a better location for CHD in the city,” said Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle.

CHD’s President and CEO Jim Goodwin said that converting the property from a hardware store into a modern clinic was no easy task. But now that the job is done, he has high hopes for the clinic’s future.

“When we first got a look at the place, the hardware store was just closing… it was in pretty difficult shape,” said Goodwin. “Like a lot of old buildings it has asbestos and a lot of other things we had to overcome.”

Goodwin said that the clinic will provide counseling services, children’s and family services, psychiatry services and even primary care. He acknowledged how difficult it is for patients to get the care they need amid a nationwide shortage of primary care providers, and expressed hope that the clinic could help alleviate some of that burden locally. But what Goodwin expressed particular excitement about was the resources the clinic plans to provide for children in need.

“We hope to be a resource for the schools especially,” he said. “In the past couple years, things have gotten very difficult to access certain services, so we hope to help with that.”

Goodwin said that CHD would  make services available to children and families who are struggling, and that they have already begun reaching out to local schools to offer these services. Children who are identified as having a difficult time in schools can be assigned a mentor to help them through adversity, and their families can be assigned a family mentor to provide services on the household level.

CHD has been providing these services at their other locations, but they hope to amplify them by bringing them to their centralized location.

“We decided to bring it here and push it in a bigger way,” said Goodwin. “We also do substance use services and counseling.”

Clinicians and prescribers will be available on site at the clinic to serve patients from throughout the region. Recovery support will also be available throughout the community, with specialists who can meet patients at home.

Goodwin said that between a widespread shortage of healthcare providers and often limited accessibility to transportation, there are clear needs in the area that the new clinic hopes to help address.

“More was needed, so we hope to jump in and meet that need,” he said.

CHD is a Springfield-based nonprofit dedicated to providing a broad range of human services with locations in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut including Amherst, Northampton, South Hadley, Holyoke and Easthampton. 

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.