Woods Services Announces Next Phase of Successful Program Realignment to Meet the Life-Long Needs of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Woods and Bucks County collaborating on long-range plans for the
300-acre Langhorne campus
LANGHORNE, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Woods Services, among the area’s oldest and largest providers of
specialized health care and education for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities (IDD), is ahead of schedule with the phased
implementation of its successful, comprehensive program realignment.
Under a new leadership team, Woods has been developing and implementing
transformative initiatives focused on how to continually improve
outcomes for the children, adults and seniors they serve through a wide
array of programs that provide life-long solutions. This includes
downsizing its campus-based residential services in Langhorne and
creating more community-integrated residential services.
To date, the realignment process has resulted in an overall reduction of
more than 15% of the youth-residential services provided on Woods’
campus in Langhorne with more to come. Tine Hansen-Turton, president and
CEO of Woods, noted that today 97% of the exceptional people served by
Woods and its affiliates in PA and NJ live in community-based settings
or with their families.
Hansen-Turton said Woods is actively collaborating with both its
affiliates and regional government agencies to design a community-based
treatment model for youth with severe behavioral disorders that will
afford these youth the availability of best-practice treatment
modalities in closer proximity to their families which is critical to
their recovery and resiliency. “Consistent with our mission, we believe
this is the right approach, at the right time, to achieve the maximum
benefit for those receiving these vital clinical services,” she added.
“Our government partners and advocacy organizations – as well as the
families of those we serve – are also supportive of this direction.”
Kevin Sheetz, Chair of the Woods Board of Trustees, said the Board
enthusiastically supports the leadership’s strategic direction,
including the shift towards community-centered treatment services in
specific instances. “Our plan is a reflection of Woods’ unwavering
commitment to delivering – either on campus or in the community – the
highest quality personalized supports and programs to the exceptional
children and adults we serve throughout their lives. Excellent progress
has been made over the past two years, and the future is bright for
those we serve and our extraordinary co-workers and colleagues
throughout the Woods network.”
These latest developments exemplify Woods’ continued evolution into a
contemporary population-health organization that integrates prevention,
wellness, education, and behavioral health with coordinated and
integrated health care delivery. Woods significantly enhanced its health
care delivery last year with the opening of the new Medical Center at
Woods. The Medical Center serves as an emerging national model for
providing comprehensive, coordinated personalized care for people with
complex diagnoses and medical conditions. The outpatient center features
extended hours and increased access to more specialized services, aimed
at optimizing outcomes while reducing costly and unnecessary emergency
room visits. Woods also has round-the-clock nursing services and plans
to widely replicate this model in other locations.
Hansen-Turton noted that Woods has been in discussion with Bucks County
officials concerning new opportunities for re-imagining use of
facilities and properties that comprise the 300-acre campus that are
consistent with Woods’ mission. Woods expects to open up its existing
campus, integrate it more into the community, provide services to
underserved populations and, in the process, create jobs and advance the
economic wellbeing of Bucks County and beyond. “I have tremendous
respect for Woods and its leadership who continually innovate better
ways to serve individuals with cognitive and behavior-related
disabilities,” said Jon Rubin, Bucks County Director of Housing and
Human Services, who is among officials directly involved in the
collaboration.
Looking ahead, Hansen-Turton said Woods would soon announce the
selection of a site-planning partner, and the next phase of the campus
redevelopment/design process, that will include substantial input from
numerous stakeholders, including government, funders, advocates, and, of
course, families. The overarching goal is to provide service recipients
and their families with new options for support, especially for those
who are looking for enriching growth opportunities after aging out of
existing education programs.
About Woods Services
Woods Services is a nonprofit, multi-service population health
management and advocacy organization that along with five affiliate
organizations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey provides innovative,
comprehensive and integrated health, education, housing, workforce,
behavioral health and case management services to more than 18,000
children and adults annually in the intellectual and developmental
disability, child welfare, behavioral and brain trauma public health
sectors who have complex and intensive medical and behavioral healthcare
needs. Founded in 1913 by Philadelphia schoolteacher Mollie Woods with a
simple goal – to advance quality of life and standard of care for
individuals with disabilities – Woods Services continues its mission
today by helping children and adults with disabilities or challenges to
achieve their highest potential. For more information, visit http://www.woods.org.
Contacts
Cheryl Kauffman, Cheryl.kauffman@woods.org,
(215) 750-4255, (215) 801-5814