A message from CEO Regina Widdows, March 20, 2020

Dear SERV family members and loved ones,

Amidst the disruption and uncertainty related to the COVID-19 outbreak, please be assured that SERV remains committed to our mission and focused on providing the best possible care for your loved ones.

Over the past week, we have instituted several measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our staff, the consumers and the community. This includes restricting visitation at our residential program sites and discontinuing all community outings for consumers—except those for health and safety—until further notice. We have also reduced all nonessential personnel foot traffic and are taking steps to ensure proper, frequent sanitation practices in our facilities.

We will continue to evaluate our visitation policy daily as this situation evolves. In the meantime, we are encouraging consumers to take full advantage of telephone and video chat services, which will soon be available at all sites.

There’s no getting around it: these are challenging times. But our dedicated staff is working tirelessly to boost morale and maintain an upbeat, positive environment for your loved ones. Recently, we purchased a variety of recreational items and games for our residential program sites, which has resulted in a lot of encouraging feedback. Another way we are keeping the consumers occupied and engaged is through activities such as arts and crafts.

Please know that we are in this together, and that our staff is here to guide you and your loved ones through these trying times. Our organization will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and inform you of any updates in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for trusting SERV. Stay safe.

Sincerely,

ReginaWiddowsSignature

Regina Widdows

President and CEO 

COVID-19 Response Letter, March 16

Dear SERV family members and loved ones, 

I am writing to provide you with an update regarding our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We have been closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with State and Federal agencies. 

All of our residential programs will remain open. However, effective immediately, we have discontinued all community outings for consumers—except those for health and safety. 

SERV is also restricting all visitors to our residential program sites. We recognize that this will be very hard on the consumers and their families. We are working to provide “virtual visit” capability in all homes and will continue to evaluate our visitation policy each day. 

Effective March 17, 2020, the following SERV Behavioral Health System day programs will be temporarily closed until further notice: 

SERV Centers of New Jersey: 

Clifton Behavioral Healthcare

Adapt Partial Daycare Mercer County

Adapt Partial Daycare Hudson and Passaic Counties

SERV Achievement Centers of New Jersey: 

Mercer County Progressive Achievement Centers

Union County Progressive Achievement Centers 

Our first priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy. Thank you for your support as we navigate this global pandemic.  Please continue to visit our website (www.servbhs.org) for updates. 

Sincerely, 
 ReginaWiddowsSignature
Regina Widdows
President and CEO 

SERV’s COVID-19 Preparedness Plan

I wanted to share with you the efforts the SERV team has been taking to keep the consumers, staff, and community safe and healthy in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

For the past several weeks, SERV leadership and administrative staff have been continuously monitoring the developments in COVID-19 spread in our country. In response, we have been following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the New Jersey Department of Health, the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. As the situation evolves, we will continue to take action in accordance with new recommendations from these entities.

As SERV provides a wide range of services, we have been carefully reviewing and following the guidelines of the aforementioned authorities for long-term care facilities, outpatient facilities, and medical offices. Our staff has been advised to take increased precautions, and SERV Properties and Management is having each of the regional offices and our corporate office sanitized each night. All door handles, windows, bathrooms, kitchens, and other heavily-trafficked areas are being disinfected. We also sanitize each day program daily. At the outpatient office in Clifton, the waiting room and all heavily-trafficked areas are sanitized three times per day.

Additionally, SERV is implementing health screening measures for visitors and staff in order to ensure the health and safety of the consumers. Visitors and staff across all programs will be issued a questionnaire to screen for potential COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors. This questionnaire will be issued to staff daily and will be conducted for visitors upon their arrival at the facility.

The health and safety of SERV consumers, staff, and community is our highest priority. Thank you for placing your trust in us as we continue to monitor this situation.

Best regards,

Regina Widdows Signature

Regina Widdows
CEO
SERV Behavioral Health System, Inc.

PDF version of this announcemnt can be downloaded here

SERV opens Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic

Celebrating the grand opening and ribbon cutting of SERV Centers of N.J.’s CCBHC program in Clifton are, from left, Matt Mantone, VP Program Development; Pauline Simms, COO of SERV Centers; Regina Widdows, SERV Behavioral Health System President/CEO; Deb Hartel, Deputy Commissioner for Integrated Health Services for the N.J. Department of Health; and Marc Ackerman, Director of the CCBHC/Outpatient program.

On September 20, SERV Centers of New Jersey, a division of SERV Behavioral Health System, Inc., celebrated the grand opening of Partners in Wellness, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), located at 777 Bloomfield Avenue in Clifton. 

The CCBHC will provide community-based, integrated care for children, youth, and adults who have complex mental health, substance use, and physical health needs. Partners in Wellness is one of only 9 CCBHC programs in the state of New Jersey. The implementation of a CCBHC program in Passaic County was made possible through a federal grant that SERV Centers of N.J. received from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

Read more: SERV opens Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic