GHS’ new state-of-the-art facility will significantly expand capacity, improve service delivery, and co-locate services in a centralized transit-accessible location from three obsolete, inadequate, and dispersed leased facilities. The Project, which is designed equivalent to LEED silver standards, will serve 5,721 unduplicated individuals annually. When counting clients of each program as unique and not accounting for overlap between programs resulting from clients participating in multiple lines of service, the project will serve 9,451 individuals annually via three primary lines of services: Lead Assessment and Therapeutic Services, Mental and Behavioral Health Services, and a Federally Qualified Health Center clinic.

In order to serve as the community’s primary hub for responding to behavioral/mental health needs facing children and families affected by the Flint lead/water crisis, the Project will include the Neurodevelopmental Center of Excellence which will offer specialized, state-of-the-art clinical facilities to accommodate the growing need for lead assessment and treatment. Spaces will be tailored for conducting uninterrupted assessments with quiet observation rooms.

The Project will significantly expand GHS’ capacity to provide these assessments, allowing it to address a waitlist of more than 1,000 children and a pool of nearly 40,000 children who have been exposed to lead. Additionally, the Project will house all of GHS’ children’s intensive mental and behavioral health services, including its Autism Center, which works with clients daily, bringing them on-site anywhere from 5 hours to 40 hours weekly.

The Project includes a dedicated Autism Services Suite informed by research into state-of-the-art facilities for autism treatment. The suite is organized around a “pod” concept to provide specialized and focused services for children of different age groups, and it will allow GHS to grow its existing autism services and add an enhanced version of the program for children more severely impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To address a broader set of needs facing the community, the facility will include a new integrated primary care FQHC clinic featuring six exam rooms for primary care and behavioral health. Services will be targeted to women and children and will address key health issues facing the community. The Project will also include a small social enterprise café to be operated with a local supportive employment agency through a use agreement, without paying rent to GHS.