Mental Health Authority Selects New Organizations to Provide Care for Wayne County Citizens

The Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority (DWMHA) has been in the process of improving the quality of care within the community mental health system in Wayne County. We have held community forums and gathered feedback and insight from consumers, families, stakeholders and providers about how to best improve our service delivery system. As DWMHA has been in the process of doing its due diligence to select the best organizations that can fully embrace the Mission, Vision, Core Values, and Guiding Principles of the DWMHA to be consumer and community focused, data driven and evidence-based.

The DWMHA Board decided this afternoon on those organizations that will serve as the Managers of the Comprehensive Provider Networks (MCPNs) providing services to persons with mental health and developmental disabilities in Wayne County. The organizations that will administer mental illness contracts will he: CareLink and Gateway. The organizations that will administer the developmental disability contracts will be: Community Living Services, ConsumerLink and Synergy.

These organizations were held to a high standard and had to meet many criteria that proved to our evaluation team that they could meet the needs of the population we service.

"Today's decision marks a turning point as we move towards achieving great things and creating excellent partnerships between the DWMHA and the MCPNs as well as true collaboration between these parties and with advocates, persons served by our system and their families" according to Frank Ross, DWMHA Board Chairman. "The process to improve our mental health system in Wayne County has been a great task and is long overdue for change. Today is a giant step in the right direction, and I am confident in the decision of the Board. I am pleased that the Authority will continue to affect change in the lives of the thousands of people we touch every day" according to Torn Watkins, President and CEO DWMHA.