Samaritas Focuses on Substance Use Disorder Treatment for Adolescents

Thanks to a grant from the Flinn Foundation, Samaritas has been able to expand its offerings to include specialized substance use treatment for teens.

Since 1934, Samaritas has been committed to helping at-risk families through some of their toughest challenges and biggest needs. These assists run the gamut – from substance use disorder treatment, behavioral health, foster care and adoption, refugee assistance, affordable living, disability services, senior care and more.

So, it’s no surprise that Samaritas serves more than 13,000 people each year through more than 40 programs at more than 65 locations, making it one of the largest health and human service agencies in the state of Michigan. But even with a full plate, the team at Samaritas realized they needed to do more.

In 2020, Samaritas noticed an overwhelming need for their treatment to be tailored to adolescents. To do so, Samaritas applied for a $75,000 grant from the Flinn Foundation in July 2021 to start an outreach clinic in Oakland County.

“Establishing supports for young people in our community is critical,” says Andrea Cole, Flinn Foundation’s executive director and CEO.

The goals of the clinic include providing a comprehensive, community-based continuum of care for adolescents up to age 21 suffering from a substance use disorder and/or co-occurring mental health illnesses, improving access to evidence-based treatment and holistic care for at-risk adolescents and their families, and increasing mental health provider workforce capacity in southeast Michigan, to name a few.

“Through our work with at-risk families across the spectrum of services we provide, we invest our resources in improving the health and welfare of Michigan’s most vulnerable children to mitigate the devastating cycle of challenges stemming from trauma, illness, inequality and poverty,” says Jennifer Keuten, MSW, LMSW, Samaritas’ clinical manager for Southeast Michigan.

“Flinn Foundation’s support of our project makes this plan feasible and is an innovative approach to expanding workforce capacity to underserved communities,” Keuten says. Our partnership with the Flinn Foundation ensures that more adolescents access treatment quickly, saving lives and building bright futures.”

Each year, the Ethel & James Flinn Foundation provides grants to southeast Michigan organizations who are working to promote mental health awareness and provide mental health services.