SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A local group of medical students volunteered their time Thursday to help lift the spirits of those recovering from mental health and substance use problems.

Students from UMass Medical School’s Baystate campus painted an 8-bed recovery room in Springfield.
The space is a new addition to the Mental Health Association’s Division of Recovery and Housing.
The student volunteers believe their efforts will have far-reaching impacts in the community.

Kaan Apaydin, a student at UMass medical school telling 22News: “We are actually doing two things at once; we are building a relationship with current residents of the mental health association and we are also preparing a new place for the future residents of the mental health association.”

The students are part of a program called Population-based Urban and Rural Community Health Track, or “PURCH,” which focuses on healthcare disparities, and health issues specific to urban and rural communities.