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Category Archives: News

January 01 2023

2022 Annual Report

Categories News

On behalf of the Board of Directors and Growth Works staff, I am pleased to present our Annual Report for fiscal year 2022. We hope it will enhance your understanding of the services we provide in the Western Wayne County area.

Originally founded in 1971 as a youth drop-in center, the agency provided a safe environment
for local youth to keep them engaged in positive activities and reduce the likelihood of delinquency.
Although we look very different today, our agency’s mission of restoring hope, supporting change and improving lives is our guiding light amid the ever-changing needs of the communities that we serve.

As we look back, we feel proud of the things we’ve accomplished so far. From building new relationships, to creating new programs, our staff have been working tirelessly to move this agency forward.

As we grow, we will continually strive to have a consistent voice, a clear purpose and a coherent strategy that will enhance the services that we offer and provide a more diversified workforce, inclusive and welcoming environment for staff and those we serve.

Warm regards,

Nick Griswold, Growth Works CEO

Growth Works 2022 Annual Report

December 12 2022

MCBAP Certified Trainings

Categories News

Growth Works is proud to be an approved provider with Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals, MCBAP. Our Training and Consulting Program offers a variety of courses to meet your needs and credentials to support your license.

The Growth Works Training and Consulting Program enables us to share our knowledge, expertise, and highly trained staff with the community. We strive to help healthcare institutions, public safety departments, schools, and other organizations utilize our resources to better serve youth and families. Contact Hayley Koetje, Growth Works Training and Consulting Manager, to learn more about how we can serve you!

MCBAP’s Mission is to provide public protection and promote quality services through certification of professionals engaging in the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems and the assessment and treatment of addictions. Growth Works is honored and sees it as a privilege to have the support of MCBAP as we bring our Training and Consulting to those we work with.

November 11 2022

Growth Works Receives Consumers Energy Foundation Grant

Categories News

Growth Works Family Assessment Support & Education (FASE) received a $10,000 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation supporting their Community Closet program. This grant will connect individuals and families with essential items to address their basic needs and we expect to see a quantifiable impact on their overall lifestyle.

“The Consumers Energy Foundation is committed to removing the barriers keeping our neighbors from accessing basic needs. That’s why we are proud to support organizations like Growth Works Family Assessment Support & Education and their efforts to connect Wayne County residents with the resources they need,” said Carolyn Bloodworth, secretary/treasurer of the Consumers Energy Foundation.

As a leading social service provider serving Wayne County residents, our mission is to restore hope, embrace change and improve the lives of the clients we serve. We recognize that when individuals and families struggle to meet their basic needs, issues of substance use, domestic violence and juvenile justice tend to increase. The Community Closet provides essential resources including food, household items, and clothing. By addressing these needs, we believe we will shift their long-term outcomes, as well as those for generations to come. This grant is an opportunity to partner with the Consumers Energy Foundation and further their mission of caring for people, our planet and Michigan’s prosperity.

About the Consumers Energy Foundation

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider. The Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what’s most important to Michigan — its people, our planet and Michigan’s prosperity. In 2021, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, its employees and retirees contributed over $17.5 million to Michigan nonprofits. For more information, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.

November 11 2022

Growth Works awarded Accreditation from The Joint Commission

Categories News

Growth Works has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Case Management, Diversion and Clinical Treatment Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

Growth Works underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review in August. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission reviewers evaluated compliance with standards spanning several areas including client care, emergency management, suicide prevention, environment of care, infection prevention and control, COVID 19 precautions, leadership, and rights and responsibilities of the individual.

“As a private accreditor, The Joint Commission surveys health care organizations to protect the public by identifying deficiencies in care and working with those organizations to correct them as quickly and sustainably as possible,” says Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, chief operating officer, Accreditation and Certification Operations, and chief nursing executive, The Joint Commission. “We commend Growth Works for its continuous quality improvement efforts in patient safety and quality of care.”

The Joint Commission’s standards are developed in consultation with health care experts and providers, measurement experts and patients. They are informed by scientific literature and expert consensus to help health care organizations measure, assess and improve performance. The surveyors also conducted onsite observations and interviews.

“We are proud of our Joint Commission Accreditation and want to thank the team for all of their hard work to ensure we provide the highest quality services to those who receive care at Growth Works,” says Nick Griswold, Growth Works CEO. “It is our mission to ensure the best in all of our services and the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval ensures we have met that standard.”

For more information, please visit The Joint Commission website.

September 09 2022

We’re facing a suicide epidemic; there’s help

Categories News

September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Do you need help? It is as easy as calling the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 988 —to be connected to a trained behavioral health counselor. Suicide is an epidemic with disastrous, painful effects. Suicide, addiction and other mental health challenges skip no zip code. I know. I lost two brothers to suicide and a son to alcoholism. Writing these words are painful as they conjure up the memories of better times with my brothers and son, the jokes, laughter, fights and enjoyment of the simplest pleasure of life. Now, they are gone and all I have left are the Email The prevalence of suicide deaths in the U.S. is alarming. We have a problem in this country, and in this state. More than 47,500 Americans die by suicide each year. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for Michiganians. We average 14.5 deaths per 100,000, slightly higher than the national average. Suicide is the 4th leading cause of death for people ages 34-54. For every death by suicide, there are more than 25 suicide attempts. Seventy-eight percent of people who die by suicide are men and suicide rates for men are highest among those over the age of 75. Eighty percent of teens who die by suicide exhibit warning signs. Ninety percent of teens who die by suicide have a mental health condition. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10-34. Suicide can be prevented. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (one’s sexual or gender identity), intersex, and asexual/aromantic/agender are at great risk. Forty-one percent of transgender adults have attempted suicide. LGBTQIA youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than any other youth. LGBTQIA adults are six times more likely to attempt suicide than other adults. There is a tinge of shame and stigma associated with admitting you or someone you know needs professional help. Yet, we know stigma kills. Stigma is a major barrier in getting people the mental health care they need and deserve. Some common warning signs of suicide include expressing thoughts about death, dying or suicide; seeking ways to kill yourself; or threatening suicide either directly or indirectly. Mental health issues do not impact “those” people; they are not simply statistics to recite. Mental health issues impact our mothers, fathers, sisters, brother and our sons and daughters. I have witnessed, through my brothers’ and my son’s struggles, the joys when they were ready for help and the systems that were there to help them. I have also felt the pain as their disease prevented them from availing themselves to help, or worse yet, when a bureaucratic system let them down. We can and must do better. Suicide is irreversible. If you are contemplating suicide — “because today is the worst day of your life” — pause, knowing that if this is true, tomorrow by definition will be better. Call 988 and begin the journey of recovery. You are not alone. No matter what life challenges you are dealing with, people are available and ready to help you. You can help – extend a helping hand and show you care. Remember the 988 number and share it with your circle of friends and colleagues so that everyone knows where to turn if they or someone they love are so desperate, distraught or ill that they are contemplating taking their own life. You are worthy of life. Other resources to turn to:

https://everybodyvsstigma.com/

https://namimi.org/

https://kevinssong.org/

Tom Watkins is a former Michigan State Mental Health Director, State Superintendent of Schools and president and CEO of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. Tom Watkins supports the Growth Works’ mission of Restoring Hope, Embracing Change and Improving the Lives of the individuals we serve.