Media Contacts: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications, barbara@eafocus.com; 248.260.8466
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — March 30, 2021 — Lenora Hardy-Foster, President and CEO of Judson Center, a multi-county human service agency and designated Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), was interviewed on the Civic Center TV (CCTV) Megacast on March 29 on the history of Judson Center, the services offered, and the challenges of meeting staff and societal needs during a pandemic.
CCTV, an Oakland County public access station, is a service of the Greater West Bloomfield Cable Communications Commission, providing live and on-demand meeting coverage and community programming on matters of interest to Oakland County residents and business owners.
During the interview, Hardy-Foster explained how Judson Center became a designated CCBHC early on in the pandemic, which helped fund needed programs in behavioral health and also allowed Judson Center to enter into a partnership with the Salvation Army Eastern Division’s Harbor Light program in Clinton Township to provide an array of substance use disorder (SUD) and primary care services to those facing addiction. She also shared the challenges of meeting the needs of the approximately 13,000 children in Michigan who are awaiting placement in foster care homes and the desperate need for foster parents, noting the ultimate goal for children in foster care is reunification with their biological families or, absent that possibility, adoption by forever families.
The pandemic challenges were exacerbated by the longstanding nationwide shortages of social workers and behavioral health professionals; Hardy-Foster said that extra care was taken to meet the emotional needs of all Judson Center employees as they worked remotely. She added that autism services are again offered in person at four of the Judson Center locations and that the organization would be “Bringing Autism to Light” during the month of April, which is autism awareness month.
The interview, approximately 15 minutes long, can be viewed in its entirety here.
About Judson Center
Judson Center, trusted by Michigan families for more than 97 years, is a non-profit human service agency that provides comprehensive services that strengthen children, adults and families impacted by abuse and neglect, autism, developmental, behavioral and physical health challenges so they can achieve whole health, well-being, and maximum potential. Judson Center also offers integrated primary healthcare for all through Judson Center Family Health in Warren and is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Since opening its doors in 1924, Judson Center has grown to change the lives of over 12,000 children, adults, and families each year. Judson Center has offices in Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. Headquarters are located at 30301 Northwestern Highway, Suite 100, Farmington Hills, MI 48334-3277. Learn more at https://www.judsoncenter.org/.
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