NNews April 2024

43 April 2024 SERV and Maryville Reach Milestone Anniversaries, Offer Expansive Arrays of Innovative Services Two of NJAMHAA’s long-time members have reached significant anniversaries this year: SERV Behavioral Health Systemwas founded 50 years ago and Maryville Addiction Treatment Center is now 75 years old. Although each organization started with a different primary focus — intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) at SERV and substance use disorders (SUD) at Maryville—both organizations have grown to not only serve increasing numbers of individuals with these challenges, but also offer broad continuums of services, as co-occurring disorders are common in their original core populations. SERV SERV is one of the largest nonprofit providers of residential behavioral health services inNew Jersey. The SERV Family of Companies consists of SERV Centers of New Jersey, which provides residential, outpatient, and community-based partial care services for adults with mental illness and treatment for substance use disorders in adults. SERV Centers also operate Partners inWellness , a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) that provides integrated care tomeet the community’s behavioral and physical health needs. The company also includes SERV Achievement Centers, for individuals with I/DD, which offers residential, day habilitation, pre- vocational programs, and behavioral support services; and SERV Connect, which offers residential and crisis assessment and stabilization services for adolescents and young adults with I/DD and co-occurringmental and behavioral health needs. SERV Connect also provides transitional support services for youth returning to the family home; SERV Properties and Management, develops and operates housing for special populations, including youthwith disabilities and seniors; and the SERV Foundation builds awareness of SERV’s programs and supports programs within SERV to enrich clients’ lives. The Foundation also supports their educational endeavors. When asked about the most significant changes that occurred during her seven years at SERV, CEO Regina Widdows, MA commented on the changes in reimbursement. “I started at SERV when we were moving from contract funding to fee-for-service reimbursement and now, we are actively preparing for the managed care model. The biggest challenge is keeping up with different rules, regulations and compliance initiatives related to reimbursement and funding in Medicaid on the state and federal levels. “What has been consistent is the quality of care. We have been able to adapt to all the challenges because of our unwavering commitment to quality of care.” A critical strategy SERV employs is having clinical care providers solely responsible for providing excellent services, and separate teams focusing on access and billing. “If the roles are not clearly defined, priorities become unclear. When exceptional care is provided, everything works,” stressed Widdows, who also serves on the NJAMHAA Board. (continued on page 44)