Integrated care clinic model will bring primary care to the behavioral health setting in Judson’s Warren location starting in February 2019

Media Contact: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; barbara@eafocus.com; 248.260.8466; Erika Jones, Judson Center; Erika_Jones@JudsonCenter.org; 248.837.2052

Royal Oak, Mich. ---December 28, 2018 --- Judson Center, a multi-county human service agency providing autism programs, behavioral health services, child and family services including foster care and adoption in tandem with its affiliate, Child Safe Michigan, and employment services for the disabled, has been awarded nearly $700,000 in grant funding in support of its planned integrated primary care clinic, Judson Center Family Health Clinic, slated for opening in February 2019 in Judson Center’s Warren location. The announcement was made by Judson Center CEO and President Lenora Hardy-Foster. 

The new clinic will provide critical primary health services integrated with mental health care to existing Judson Center consumers, primarily children from low-income backgrounds, as well as the public, and will serve all ages from infants to seniors. A 2018 survey of Judson Center’s behavioral health patients indicated that many were not presently seeing a primary care physician. Psychological barriers faced by people with mental health challenges often make it difficult for them to navigate the complex health care system, keep appointments, and prioritize their health care.

“People with mental health challenges are often in greater need of physical health services than the general public, and the shocking statistic is that they have a life expectancy of 25 years less than the general population,” Hardy-Foster said. “They are three times as likely to die of heart disease, seven times more likely to die of pneumonia or the flu, and five times more likely to die of other respiratory ailments. Judson Center Family Health Clinic is predicated on decades of evidence compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showing that integrated care is the optimal way of treating individuals with multiple health care needs, especially when mental health treatment is required.”

The leading grant of $500,000 was awarded to Judson Center from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Additional grant support followed, including $118,561 from The Carls Foundation and $25,000 each from the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation. Combined, the grants will help Judson Center consumers, as well as area residents seeking a new primary care provider, achieve optimal mental and physical health.  Hardy-Foster expressed her gratitude for the grants.

“The Michigan Health Endowment Fund grant and the subsequent grants from The Carls Foundation, DeRoy Testamentary Foundation and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation are transformational,” Hardy-Foster said. “Judson Center has spent nearly 95 years finding solutions to help families succeed. The opening of an integrated care clinic represents the next evolution of services we can provide to accomplish our mission and also serve the broader community that may not be currently acquainted with Judson Center.”

Judson Center Family Health Clinic will be opened under the clinical oversight of Rochester-based MedNetOne Health Solutions (MedNetOne), and accept a variety of private insurances, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. MedNetOne is a 900+ physician organization serving a variety of provider members, including behavioral health specialists, and a longtime champion of whole person care and the patient-centered medical home.

“In bringing primary care into an established behavioral health setting, Judson is leading a movement of integrated care that others are sure to follow; it’s a holistic approach to healthcare that we believe will ultimately become the standard of care in patient-centric primary care,” Ewa Matuszewski, CEO of MedNetOne, said.

All patients receiving primary care will also get a mental health risk assessment. Additionally, Diabetes Prevention Programs (DPP) and Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) will be available, as will multidisciplinary, team-based wellness services, including MedNetOne’s RTEAM, a program for pediatric and adolescent patients that provides nutrition and exercise counseling and a behavioral health specialist to help create action plans and SMART goals. Immediate referrals between the primary care clinic and behavioral health services will be available. 

Hardy-Foster notes that Judson Center, which has been at its current location in Warren since 2001 and serves nearly 1100 consumers a year there, is calling on the city and neighboring communities to help spread the word about Judson Center Family Care.

“We are diligently working with our existing partnerships and new friends of Judson Center in Macomb County to spread the word about the clinic’s opening,” Hardy-Foster said. “Our ‘Commitment to Community’ motto is taking on new meaning with Judson Center Family Health Clinic.” 

Judson Center Family Health Clinic will offer evening and Saturday hours, with a regular schedule of hours to be announced closer to the February 1, 2019 opening. In addition to the new clinic, Judson Center is currently adding nearly 4,000 square feet to its Warren center to expand its autism services for children ages 2 to 17 years old.

About Judson Center

Judson Center is a non-profit human service agency that provides expert, comprehensive services in Southeast Michigan that strengthen children, adults and families impacted by abuse and neglect, autism, developmental disabilities, and behavioral health challenges so they are successful in their communities.  Since opening its doors in 1924, Judson Center has grown to change the lives of nearly 9,000 children, adults, and families each year. Judson Center has five regional offices in Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Headquarters are located at 4410 W. 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48073.  Learn more at https://www.judsoncenter.org/.

About MedNetOne Health Solutions

Based in Rochester, Mich., MedNetOne Health Solutions is a leader in advancing the development and implementation of the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and advanced primary care. Its physician/provider members are focused on fully integrated, population-based, patient-centric practices that enhance patient outcomes and meet government healthcare reform mandates. Learn more here.

About The Michigan Health Endowment Fund

The Michigan Health Endowment Fund works to improve the health and wellness of

Michigan residents and reduce the cost of healthcare, with a special focus on children and

seniors.

About The Carls Foundation

The principal purpose and mission of The Carls Foundation is the improvement of children's health & well-being and the preservation of natural areas primarily within the state of Michigan.

About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Michigan

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation supports diverse research and projects that have earned it a reputation for excellence in health philanthropy. They also support efforts to control the rising cost of health care through research, demonstration and evaluation projects.

About the DeRoy Testamentary Foundation

The DeRoy Testamentary Foundation provides funding support for programs that improve the quality of life and promote the well-being of individuals primarily in the metropolitan Detroit area.

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