MASStrong Q4 Report: Building Stronger Support for the People Who Care for Massachusetts
Every day, healthcare workers across Massachusetts show up for others. They care for patients, support families, respond to crises, and carry enormous responsibility. Yet too often, they do so while navigating burnout, stress, isolation, and compassion fatigue themselves.
At GPS Group Peer Support, we believe that caring for the people who care for our communities isn’t optional—it’s essential.
That’s why we’re excited to share the MASStrong FY2026 Fourth Quarter Progress Report, highlighting the progress made from April through June 2026 and the growing impact of trauma-informed peer support across the Commonwealth.
Building a Statewide Culture of Peer Support
MASStrong continues to help healthcare organizations create sustainable, organization-led peer support that strengthens both individuals and workplaces. Through free facilitator training, customized curricula, peer support groups, and implementation funding, organizations are building internal capacity to care for their own teams.
This quarter, MASStrong reached several important milestones:
- 22 Implementation Partners across Massachusetts
- 8 new organizations joined the program
- 51 peer support sessions delivered
- 514 support group participants
- 83 participants enrolled in GPS Facilitator Trainings
- 5 new specialized support group curricula created to meet the needs of diverse healthcare communities
These numbers represent more than participation. They represent healthcare workers finding connection, organizations investing in staff well-being, and communities building the skills to sustain peer support long into the future.
Measurable Impact
As organizations continue implementing GPS, they’re reporting meaningful changes in how they support their workforce.
Among participating organizations:
- 62% reported expanded organizational capacity to offer peer support groups.
- 62% said staff now have the tools and skills to support colleagues.
- 54% reported increased awareness of staff well-being.
These outcomes reinforce what we see every day: when organizations invest in connection, they strengthen resilience—not just for individual staff members, but across entire teams.
Expanding Partnerships Across Massachusetts
This quarter also brought new partnerships with organizations representing diverse healthcare settings and communities throughout Massachusetts, including hospitals, recovery organizations, community health providers, and culturally rooted nonprofits.
Each new partnership helps extend peer support to healthcare workers who may otherwise struggle in isolation, ensuring more people have access to spaces where they can reflect, connect, and remember they don’t have to carry the weight of their work alone.
Looking Ahead
The progress highlighted in this report reflects more than another successful quarter. It demonstrates a growing movement across Massachusetts—one where healthcare organizations recognize that supporting staff well-being is fundamental to providing high-quality care.
As more organizations adopt trauma-informed peer support, they aren’t simply responding to burnout. They’re building workplaces where connection, compassion, and mutual support become part of everyday culture.
We’re grateful to every Implementation Partner, facilitator, healthcare worker, and community organization helping make this work possible.
Bring MASStrong to Your Workplace
GPS’s MASStrong program offers free GPS trainings, support groups, curriculums, and toolkits for Massachusetts medical, behavioral health, and community care workers and organizations. Eligible organizations can also apply for GPS partnership support and grants up to $10,000.
