Samaritas Adds Community Care Management through Priority Health Partnership

The program adds much-needed mental health support for both individuals and families

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – May 9, 2023 – Samaritas, one of Michigan’s largest health and human services nonprofit organizations providing critical services to vulnerable populations, has partnered with Priority Health, a nationally recognized nonprofit health plan serving more than 1.3 million members, to launch its Community Care Management (CCM) service. This program is designed to support both individuals and families in times of mental health crisis.

“Mental health support remains a serious need across Michigan communities,” said Anthony Muller, vice president of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services at Samaritas. “We have seen an increased demand for these services from the children and families who we serve, and we are here to support in an effective and meaningful way. We are grateful for our partnership with Priority Health as we launch this program and continue to support Michigan’s vulnerable population.”

CCM provides critical support to address crises and help individuals and families during the transition back home after hospitalization through clinical sessions and psychiatric services. In most cases, the intensive program lasts around three months. After the situation is stabilized, services are reduced to a traditional outpatient model, with the ability to address needs in person, in the community, or through telehealth.

“Priority Health is committed to providing access and resources to support Michiganders at every state of their mental health journey,” said Jeff Greshak, director of behavioral health at Priority Health. “We are excited for Samaritas to be Priority Health’s sixth partner that will provide critical mental health support to those in need.”

Samaritas’ SUD program launched in March 2020, with recent expansions in Eaton, Kent, Oakland, Ionia, and Ottawa counties. The partnership with Priority Health expands the organizations offerings under Samaritas’ Child & Family Services.

For more information on Samaritas and the critical services it provides, visit www.samaritas.org. Referrals can be made online or by phone at (833) 720-9355.

 

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About Samaritas
Since 1934, Samaritas has served others as an expression of the love of Christ with programs to help Michigan’s troubled families and disadvantaged individuals thrive. Samaritas is one of the state’s best-known foster care agencies with a full suite of family preservation programs and options like Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services to keep families together. The agency offers resettlement services for refugees, Affordable Housing options for seniors and adults with developmental disabilities, and housing solutions for families experiencing homelessness. Visit samaritas.org for more information. Follow us on Facebook @IAmSamaritas, Twitter @IAmSamaritas, or on Instagram @WeAreSamaritas.

About Priority Health
With over 30 years in business, Priority Health is the second-largest health plan in Michigan, offering an extensive portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving more than one million members each year and offering a broad network of primary care physicians in Michigan, Priority Health continues to be recognized as a leader in quality, customer service, transparency, and product innovation. Learn more about affordable, quality health coverage options from Priority Health

 

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* Important Notice *

Earlier this year, Samaritas was under investigation by the state for allegations of abuse in our emergency shelter in Grand Rapids. We opened this shelter 26 months earlier for children from Central America crossing the border fleeing from horrible condition; we were asked to take in Afghan youth when there was no other place for them to go after the crisis in Afghanistan occurred. We accepted 19 youth in response to this request and our long-term commitment to help youth to the greatest extent possible at the time of their greatest need. Samaritas was one of several similar emergency shelters across the country asked to take in these refugee youth.

Due to the severe level of trauma they had endured, many of them required intensive therapy and counseling. As a result of the growing concern we had for the depth and breadth of those needs of the youth and the safety of our team, we made the decision to work with our referring partners to move the youth to other programs where they could access the higher level of trauma-informed care, supervision, and medical attention that they required. Due to state and federal oversight of our programs, we are unable to share specific details of the investigation but we were cleared of any abuse allegations by the state and all youth were transferred to appropriate residential placements where they could receive the care they needed. Samaritas continues to be a state and federal leader in refugee resettlement, including refugee foster care.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Please Contact:
Joe DiBenedetto
Lambert & Co.
(516) 637-0597

Matt Friedman
Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications
(248) 762-1430