April 17, 2017

Dear Valued Stakeholder:
 
We are happy to share our wonderful news, Family Services of Western Pennsylvania and Wesley Spectrum Services are merging into one organization!  The full merger will take some time given the wide range of services.  The first step of the merger will be on July 1, 2017 when Wesley Spectrum and Family services will officially  become members of a parent organization; Wesley  Family Services.
 
For over 50 years, Wesley Spectrum has been guided by the beliefs that every person has value, every person has strengths and that the best interest of children and families need to be at the heart of all decision making. We strive to transform the individuals, families, schools and communities we serve through an unconditional commitment to delivering the right care, in the right way at the right time. We are proud to be advocates for those we serve, helping the community understand that the needs of people with developmental, educational and behavioral health challenges affect us all.  
 
Family Services was established in 1948 as the result of a merger of three other agencies, one whose history dates back to 1885. These predecessors were at the forefront of addressing problems of poverty, hunger, and child welfare at the turn of the century in response to the negative effects of industrialization and the growth of urbanization. Family Services has always fostered in individuals, not only the capacity to succeed themselves, but also the belief that they can help their communities. As we continue in the spirit of our mission to Empower People to Reach their Full Potential we do so with a positive outlook of a brighter future for our clients, employees and the communities we serve.
 
Our draft mission is " To empower children, adults and families by providing transformational care". Over the next year we anticipate our long-term mission, vision and values to be finalized with input from staff and stakeholders.
 
Together we can do more for more children, families, and adults, be more effective, efficient and sustainable, and continue to innovate in what we do and how we do it. Wesley Family Services will provide you many new services and areas of expertise in the future. We look forward to discussing those in more depth with you. We anticipate the process to take roughly 18-24 months for a full merger. Below are a few facts we'd like to share at this point in time: 

  • On July 1, 2017 Wesley Spectrum and Family Services will move under a new umbrella entity named Wesley Family Services.  Each organization will remain as separate entities but the board structure and by-laws will be adapted to reflect the affiliation with a parent company. 
  • Doug Muetzel will become the new CEO of WFS and continue as CEO of WSS 
  • Stephen Christian Michaels will assume a new position for WFS as Chief Strategy Officer and remain the CEO of Family Services until the merger is complete. 
  • We are working on a plan with DHS and our county partners to integrate/migrate licenses and PROMISe numbers. Our plan is to complete this process by June 2018. We plan to begin with the services that both organizations have in common: Family Based Mental Health; Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital programs, Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
  • Wesley Spectrum and Family Service combined have over 60 distinct services across multiple service systems including:  Behavioral Health, Child Welfare, Education, Juvenile Justice, Drug and Alcohol programs, Aging and Intellectual Disabilities and Autism.     
  • Wesley Family Services will serve people across the life space from early intervention services to services for seniors and employ over 1,000 individuals. 
  • For the immediate future, referral processes and contacts for both organizations will remain the same.    As we make changes related to integration, we will inform our stakeholders. 
  • We are communicating the news to those we serve by letter and in person assuring them that the merger will not disrupt their current care.

If you have any questions about this exciting news please visit our new website www.wesleyfamilyservices.org for additional information about the merger. We are grateful for your understanding of the benefit of this merger for you, our employees and the community as a whole. We are confident that our new affiliation will serve us all well.
 
Sincerely,






Doug Muetzel                                                         Stephen Christian-Michaels
Chief Executive Officer                                          President & Chief Executive Officer
Wesley Spectrum Services                                      Family Services of Western PA
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