SCO Family of Services Awarded Nearly $1 Million to Develop Integrated Health and Wellness Center for Women in Suffolk County

SCO among 13 Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program Awards on Long Island

August 1, 2017 – Dix Hills, NY – SCO Family of Services, a leading provider of social services, health care and mental health services to vulnerable populations, announced it has been awarded $933,000 to develop an integrated Women’s Health and Wellness Center at SCO’s Madonna Heights campus in Dix Hills, Long Island, as part of New York’s Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program (SHCFTP).  The capital grant enables SCO to expand and enhance its current mental health and substance abuse services, with the addition of a new primary medical care clinic to provide a fully integrated care environment for women and children.  SCO’s award is one of only 13 projects funded on Long Island.

“We are excited to bring much-needed integrated health services onto our Madonna Heights campus to better serve the women and children in our care,” said Douglas O’Dell, Executive Director of SCO Family of Services. “This transformative initiative is designed to improve both patient care and the patient experience through a holistic, person-centered approach to comprehensive medical, mental health, and substance abuse services.

The award provides capital funding for the creation of a Health and Wellness Center that will include:

• An expansion of SCO’s Family Service Clinic, an outpatient mental health treatment center, licensed by NYS Office of Mental Health
• A new outpatient substance abuse treatment clinic, licensed by NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS)
• A new primary medical care clinic, operated by a strategic health partner

SCO’s Madonna Heights campus in Dix Hills provides an environment that teaches, strengthens and encourages young and adult women to heal from trauma.  It is a safe haven that provide 24-hour care to address their physical, emotional, and social needs; helping to build confidence, strengthen family bonds, and support the transition back home or to a home in the community.  Madonna Heights’ Sanctuary-certified residential programs support adolescent girls with behavioral and emotional challenges.  These young women attend the on-campus Madonna Heights School, which also serves girls from the community in need of extra support and an individualized academic program. SCO’s Morning Star program offers residential care and transitional services for women in recovery from substance abuse, as well as recovering mothers with children, in need of a structured, sober environment. The Madonna Heights Family Service Clinic has been serving the mental health needs of children and families in Suffolk County since 1972.

The new Center will allow SCO to better support local needs of the surrounding community.  Building on the successful outcomes of SCO’s substance abuse recovery programs, the Center will include an outpatient substance abuse treatment clinic to help combat the County’s high rate of opioid/heroin addiction.  Additionally, a robust care management program will provide a curated healthcare experience, where healthcare experts – known as care managers – coordinate the most appropriate programs and services for each individual.

“Now, more than ever, we need to protect health care in New York and ensure the system in place is meeting the needs of current and future generations of New Yorkers,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo in a press release announcing awards of $47.2 million to support 13 projects that will protect and transform Long Island’s health care system. As part of the $491 million Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program, this funding will improve patient care through the development of high-quality medical facilities and programs serving the inpatient, primary care, mental health, substance use disorder and long-term care needs of communities throughout New York State.