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Business Briefs: Omni Family of Services, Woods System of Care, Bridgeway, Tufts, Synchronous, NIH
Tennessee-Based Partnership Receives Grant to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences
Omni Family of Services, a multi-state human services agency that serves children and adults, in collaboration with Hope Research Center and Attend Behavior technology platform, has formed a partnership called Hope Collective to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) for families in Tennessee.
The partnership has been selected by the state as the recipient of a 4-year Department of Children’s Services ACEs Innovation Grant. The funding will be used to develop a practice model based on the work of Hope Research Center to guide organizations that serve families. The initiative will be supported by data collection and evaluation by the Attend Behavior platform. Omni Family of Services staff will receive training and consultation to identify and research best practices in service delivery.
The project’s implementation will be managed by Omni Family Institute.
Woods System of Care and Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services to Affiliate
A pair of behavioral healthcare organizations operating in New Jersey have announced plans to affiliate. Woods System of Care and Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services have reached an agreement that has been approved by the respective boards and is subject to approval by New Jersey regulatory agencies. Once the deal is finalized, the Woods System of Care, which currently includes Woods Services and Woods Resources, will employ 6500 staff members and serve about 27,000 patients.
The Woods System of Care is based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and has 10 affiliates in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that provide lifetime integrated services for more than 22,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and/or mental health challenges, who may also have complex medical and genetic conditions. Bridgeway, which is based in Union, New Jersey, serves more than 4,000 patients per year in its crisis intervention programs and psychiatric screening in 10 counties.
Under terms of the affiliation, Bridgeway will join Woods’ 3 other New Jersey affiliates—Legacy Treatment Services, Allies, and Archway Programs—to expand behavioral health services in northern New Jersey.
Tufts Medicine, Synchronous Health Announce Partnership
Tufts Medicine and Synchronous Health have announced a partnership to deliver digitally-based behavioral healthcare services in eastern Massachusetts. The partnership will use a Synchronous digital platform, known as Karla, to deliver behavioral healthcare interventions.
Karla provides precision support to individuals in critical moments between sessions by using artificial intelligence to deliver personalized guidance, coping strategies, and resources. The platform was piloted with several Tufts Medicine practices in 2022. Through the partnership, the collaborative telehealth offering will provide access to patients cared for through the Tufts Medicine Integrated Network, which includes more than 2300 physicians.
NIH Appoints Director of Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
Jane M. Simoni, PhD, has been appointed National Institutes of Health associate director for behavioral and social sciences research and director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), effective July 30.
Dr Simoni, who has more than 25 years of experience in research focused on addressing health disparities and resilience among socially marginalized populations, will lead the office’s efforts to advance and coordinate behavioral and social sciences research at NIH, working with NIH Institutes and Centers. Dr Simoni is a clinical psychologist who joins NIH from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she is professor and director of clinical training in the university’s Department of Psychology.
References
Tufts Medicine and Synchronous Health partner to improve behavioral health care access throughout eastern Massachusetts. News release. Tufts Medicine. July 11, 2023.
