Comprehensive Healthcare’s Impactful Program Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary Serving 800 Children, Youth and Family Members

YAKIMA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comprehensive Healthcare marks a significant milestone as it celebrates a decade of the Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) program, an innovative initiative that has positively impacted nearly 800 children, youth, and families across the greater Columbia region. WISe utilizes a team approach to address the intensive mental health needs of children and youth by providing support to families in reaching their goals.

With remarkable statistics underlining the program’s impact over the last 10 years – more than 2,000 Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) screens administered, nearly 800 youth and families served spanning six counties, and an impressive roster of staff members with significant tenures – Comprehensive Healthcare’s WISe program has proven to be a beacon of hope.

The program provides comprehensive mental health services personalized to enhance wellness, safety, and strengthen community relationships. A dedicated WISe care coordinator, therapist, and family/youth partner will meet with families in environments where they feel most comfortable. They then employ a strengths-based approach to record the family’s story and assist them in assembling their Youth and Family Team (YFT). The team includes natural supports like family, friends, religious leaders, and professionals like counselors, educators, child protective services, and probation officers.

The YFT will meet regularly – at least once a month – to develop innovative strategies that leverage their collective strengths and address the family’s needs. Therapy will incorporate evidence-based practices to effectively pursue the identified objectives.

“Our goal is to prevent long-term and expensive placements and instead keep children in their communities where they can thrive,” said Mistee Magalei, Comprehensive Healthcare senior program manager for WISe. “Together, we work through challenges with their family or support system in environments that they know.”

The WISe model was originally established in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Karl Dennis, a social worker in the Chicago area, to offer support for children and youth who couldn’t access intense mental health services in their rural counties, often leading to displacement from their homes and communities. Over time, the program has expanded to address the needs of families in nearly any environment across the country.

In the last 10 years, Comprehensive Healthcare’s WISe program has flourished and currently provides secure employment to 20 local community members, who work as program managers, care coordinators, therapists, youth partners, and family partners in five cities: Yakima, Walla Walla, Ellensburg, Sunnyside, and Pasco.

One family who successfully completed the program wrote, “The WISe team always patiently explained each step and helped us understand and use the steps they proposed. We have found that the WISe program really does work.”

As Comprehensive Healthcare’s WISe program enters its second decade, Magalei said, “We envision further growth and innovation, including the development of youth and family partners who have graduated from the program. With additional training for them, we see them going full circle as they step into peer roles or other roles within the program.”

With a commitment to keeping children within their communities and an impressive track record of service, Comprehensive Healthcare’s WISe program continues to showcase the transformative power of wraparound services in building resilient communities.

About Comprehensive Healthcare:

As one of the largest behavioral health organizations in the state of Washington, Comprehensive Healthcare serves clients in the Greater Columbia Region. Comprehensive Healthcare is a Joint Commission accredited organization, providing compassionate, individualized behavioral healthcare since 1972. As a non-profit organization, Comprehensive Healthcare is dedicated to delivering high quality, evidence-based services to individuals, families and organizations. To learn more, visit Comprehensive Healthcare’s website at comphc.org.