Comprehensive Support for those with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities

*If you or a loved one is in an emergency or life threatening situation, please immediately call 911. 

At Wellvance, we offer adults and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities immediate help for those experiencing severe mental or emotional distress. Crisis care is available 24/7 by calling our Wellvance Crisis & After Hours Line at 1-844-865-5569 or TTY 711.

What is Crisis Care vs. Emergency Care?

Crisis care focuses on providing immediate support for individuals experiencing severe mental or emotional distress, while emergency care addresses urgent physical health conditions that require immediate medical attention.

For adults and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, a Wellvance Care Manager will help them create a personalized recovery plan. Care Management supports adults and youth in becoming as independent and self-reliant as possible, helping them manage their condition and life challenges. Care Management also provides ongoing, coordinated care as the first line of treatment.

What is Care Management?

Care Management involves assessing a person's needs and connecting them with local resources to meet those needs. These services can include help with financial support, food, clothing, shelter, housing, medical and dental care, transportation, social support, and therapy. It also includes support for people in hospitals, jail, or other restricted environments.

Services provided through Care Management vary depending on each person's unique needs. These services can take place in an office or within the community, depending on what the individual requires for their health and well-being. Everyone's path to recovery is different, and Wellvance Care Managers are here to offer help and guidance!

Community Living Supports (CLS) are services provided by Wellvance staff that help adults and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities live independently and participate actively in their community. The activities are based on the individual’s goals, choices and priorities as identified through an individual plan of service and may be provided in the adult or youth's home or in their community.

Individuals may get the following supports:

• Cooking meals
• Doing laundry
• Regular and deep cleaning of the home
• Help with daily tasks like bathing, eating, dressing, and personal care
• Shopping for groceries and other daily needs
• Getting involved in social and community activities
• Managing money
• Providing non-medical support
• Building and maintaining relationships
• Providing transportation to and from activities and home
• Joining in community events and recreational activities
• Going to medical appointments
• Getting necessary items and non-medical services
• Reminding and checking on medication use

At Wellvance, we provide older adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities a behavioral health assessment while they are in a skilled nursing facility. If services are deemed necessary, care can be provided within the skilled nursing care facility or by Wellvance.

*OBRA is a federally mandated program that requires persons with mental illness or developmental disability to be assessed prior to nursing home placement to ensure that needed mental health services are provided during placement. OBRA includes pre-admission screening and annual resident review.

Outpatient Therapy offers behavorial health therapy and wellness for adults and youth who have an intellectual and/or developmental disability. Wellvance works together with the individuals to meet all identified goals. At Wellvance, outpatient therapy assists both adults and youth how to navigate challenges such as depression, anxiety, multiple life stressors, or coping with past or present trauma.

What Happens During Outpatient Therapy?

Services start with a thorough assessment to see if the individual qualifies for care. This process also lets them work with their Wellvance therapist to create an individual plan of service. Services may include short individual or group therapy sessions.

If group therapy is suggested, Wellvance offers different group sessions in various locations across Iosco, Ogemaw, and Oscoda counties specific for those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities

Adult and Youth Peer Support services are provided by people who have gone through similar life experiences as the Wellvance adults and youth who have an intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. People with mental health or developmental disabilities have a special ability to support each other because they share similar experiences. By sharing their own stories, they offer support, strength, and hope to others, helping them grow, improve their well-being, and recover.

Who Is a Peer Support Specialist?

A Wellvance Peer Support Specialist is a person with a significant life-altering experience. This is also referred to as a "lived experience." These specialists support adults and youth who also struggle with an intellectual and/or developmental disability. Because of their lived experience, these specialists have an expertise that professional training cannot replicate. Wellvance Peer Support Specialists assist adults and youth in a multitude of areas including employment, housing, one-on-one support, wellness groups, advance directives and more.

At Wellvance, we recognize that living with a mental health condition and other health conditions is hard. That is why we offer a Partnership Aimed at Total Health (PATH) program. PATH is a behavioral health home designed to provide you services as part of your Medicaid benefit that will help you take control of your health and have long-term recovery.

The Behavioral Health Home PATH Program:

Your Care Team:  

Here’s what you should know:

Wellvance provides psychiatric services for adults and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Care is given by psychiatric doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, who offer full assessments and manage medications.

*These services are offered in conjunction with other Wellvance services.

At Wellvance, we work with a local partner to offer Supported Employment, helping adults and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities find and keep jobs in the community. Having a job can make people feel better about themselves and give them more options in life. Supported Employment provides structure, routine, and income, allowing individuals to choose what to buy and where to live.

Supported Employment may include:

• Services that work together
• Jobs that pay fairly
• Help with understanding benefits
• Support when needed
• Ongoing assistance
• Focusing on what the person wants
• Job skills training
• Help with job applications and interviews