Brian Wipperman, CEO of Lifelong Access, announced today a partnership with Chestnut Health Systems and the Regional Office of Education to provide coordinated, one-stop support services in a revitalized space in greater downtown Bloomington.
“Our community is facing big challenges to well-being and success,” said Wipperman. “We are committed to creating a big solution that also supports downtown revitalization.”
Health challenges are especially evident among children and youth ages 6-17 in McLean County. Last year, 3,200 in that group lived at or below the poverty level, 3,300 faced a behavioral health crisis, 1,500 reported a substance abuse disorder, 5,500 were chronically absent from school, 1,400 experienced sexual violence, 13,400 lived with one or more adverse childhood experiences, 1,500 lived with a disability, 1,800 made suicide plans, 900 attempted suicides.
With the goal of providing urgently needed interventions in an accessible downtown location, the collaborating nonprofits will offer a comprehensive array of services – predominantly but not exclusively focused on youth.
“This partnership will allow us to meet a growing demand for our alternative programming in McLean County and provide greater access to food, medical, and counseling services for the students we serve and their families,” said Mark Jontry, Regional Office of Education Regional Superintendent.
Services offered will include adolescent substance use disorder treatment, alternative youth education, ABA therapy for children on the autism spectrum, behavioral health and psychiatric services, programming for adults with disabilities, pediatric and dental care, food security programs, housing support, and more.
“Among our core values is collaboration to lead change,” explained Puneet Leekha, COO of Chestnut Health Systems. “We are so pleased to be a part of this project that, if realized, will make a true impact on the health and wellness of some of our community’s most vulnerable and underserved families.”
The project partners are pursuing a heritage site in greater downtown as well as additional service providers. They expect to share progress updates in Fall 2024.
