KishHealth System has expanded its behavioral health services with the addition of the organization formerly known as Ben Gordon Center. Beginning Nov. 1, 2015, the organization began operating under the umbrella of the health system as KishHealth System Behavioral Health Services.
“We have worked together for many years. The bringing together of the two organizations allows the health system to place a greater emphasis on the coordination of behavioral health and physical health, focusing on the person as a whole, providing a continuum of care that benefits each patient,” said Kevin Poorten, KishHealth System president and CEO. “Both organizations’ leadership and boards of directors felt it would bring higher quality healthcare to members of our community.”
Many behavioral health providers across Illinois are feeling financial strain due to changes and delays in reimbursement and an increased need for services. “Due to approaching challenges coupled with the benefits of bringing physical and mental health services together, we felt it was time to approach KishHealth System, in hopes of moving the largest behavioral health provider under the umbrella of the area’s leading healthcare provider,” says Mark Leach, Ben Gordon Center Board Chair. “The mental health and substance abuse services so necessary to this community will be preserved with the financial strength and commitment of KishHealth System.”
Ben Gordon Center joining KishHealth System is a positive development for the community. “The DeKalb County Mental Health Board is excited to be a part of a new era where KishHealth System’s resources, commitment to service, comfort and safety will continue and expand the Ben Gordon Center goal,” says Deanna Cada, executive director, DeKalb County Mental Health Board. “The Mental Health Board has had a long and supportive relationship with the Ben Gordon Center and looks forward to working with KishHealth System to provide the best place for clients to receive behavioral health care.”
The nonprofit organization Ben Gordon Center has been providing services to the DeKalb County area since 1968, including mental health counseling and support groups, adult and adolescent counseling, prevention and community education services, and substance abuse treatment. Over 40 counselors and therapists care for patients at its five facilities, with a main facility located at 12 Health Services Drive, near Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb, and other satellite offices in Sandwich and DeKalb.
KishHealth System has been operating outpatient behavioral health services in Sycamore and Sandwich for many years and this past spring expanded its scope with the addition of the behavioral health professionals at KishHealth System Physician Group, DeKalb.
Many staff members remain the same at Ben Gordon Center, with Kim Volk, LCPC, CEAP, director of KishHealth System Behavioral Health Services, overseeing the department. The telephone number remains the same; please call 815.756.4875 to schedule an appointment. To learn more about KishHealth System visit www.kishhealth.org.
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