NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) granted Hampshire County agency Safe Passage $100,000 in Community Health Impact Funds (CHIF). The funds will be used for Safe Passage's "Youth Engaged and Prevention of Domestic Violence Proposal," which has been built over two years and aims to enforce mental health services for youth in the Northampton area. CDH, part of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, partnered with United Way of the Franklin & Hampshire Region to grant Safe Passage the award and promote their program. Northampton awarded grants for substance use disorder “This initiative not only supports the mental health of young individuals but also works to break the cycle of domestic violence, empowering youth in the communities we serve to lead healthier, more resilient lives,” said Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham.  Cooley Dickinson's Emergency Department expansion allowed for the CHIF investment to be awarded to Safe Passage. CDH's Community Advisory Board oversaw this process to ensure that patients at the hospital received quality care through this expansion. Through partnering with community agencies, Safe Passage Executive Director Marianne Winters said that the challenges youth face will be able to be addressed in a safe space. "This funding will enable us to further our mission to create safer, stronger communities by addressing the root causes of violence and promoting mental health and wellbeing among youth,” Winters said. "If our 'Say Something: Youth Initiative' program has taught us anything, it's that youth want to be involved. They have an incredibly unique perspective on what they want out of safe relationships, and we're honored to help facilitate those conversations and champion the change that comes from them." For more information, visit safepass.org. Local News Headlines Tower Pizza to open in downtown Springfield Cammer Cup sled hockey tournament welcomes local celebrities and adaptive athletes for a cause Westfield residents celebrate Trump’s inauguration Harmony House seeks volunteers, recruitment event to be held in Chicopee WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.