JULY 18, 2025
The Edinburg Center, 205 Burlington Road, announces the receipt of a 10-year, $350,000 grant from Cummings Foundation to support the expansion of its highly successful Jail Diversion program. The generous grant—totaling $35,000 annually—will enable The Edinburg Center to replicate its program in other Middlesex County communities.
The new initiative is projected to create approximately 600 diversions per year, connecting individuals who are in crisis with critical mental health services and support—rather than subjecting them to unnecessary arrest or incarceration.
While Jail Diversion programs are becoming more common throughout Massachusetts, several communities still lack access to this essential, evidence-based, and cost-saving service. With support from Cummings Foundation, The Edinburg Center will bring its proven model to other Eastern Massachusetts towns, filling a crucial gap in public safety and behavioral health services.
Jail Diversion is a pioneering program designed to divert individuals experiencing mental health or substance use crises from the criminal justice system by providing timely, community-based interventions. Through a collaborative approach, the program embeds a licensed mental health clinician within the local police department to co-respond to emergency calls, de-escalate situations, and follow up with individuals to ensure they receive ongoing care and support.
“Our Jail Diversion program exemplifies our commitment to creating compassionate, effective solutions for individuals facing mental health challenges,” said Patti Maguire, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Edinburg Center. “The generous support from Cummings Foundation will significantly enhance our ability to provide these essential services, ultimately helping to reduce the cycle of incarceration and improve outcomes for those we serve.”
Thanks in part to previous funding from Cummings Foundation, The Edinburg Center’s Arlington Jail Diversion program has become a national model, delivering training to police departments in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Colorado.
“Cummings Foundation is proud to partner with organizations like The Edinburg Center that have a meaningful, positive, and sustainable impact on local communities,” said Joyce Vyriotes, Executive Director of Cummings Foundation. “Programs like these are providing essential services to people facing mental health challenges and we are grateful for their efforts.”
The Edinburg Center is guided by the belief that all individuals have the potential to learn, the capacity for change, and the right to live meaningful lives in the communities of their choice. The Center provides innovative, person-centered services that promote independence, foster hope, and improve the quality of life for people with mental health conditions, co-occurring substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and acquired brain injuries.
About the Edinburg Center:
Established in 1977 and based in Bedford, the Edinburg Center serves thousands of children and adults with mental health challenges, intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism and brain disorders. Learn more at www.edinburgcenter.org.
View the article on The Bedford Citizen.