Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS)

Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS) used a startup grant to create family-focused mental health services for veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and for their families living in the Bronx. The goal was to create a program that would ultimately become sustainable through insurance reimbursements. JBFCS conducted outreach to identify veterans in need of mental health services. This was a challenge because there was no centralized database containing this type of information. JBFCS representatives discovered the need was there; however, veterans felt stigmatized by asking for mental health services. JBFCS’s Center for Trauma Program Innovation oversaw the project because it has experience in the field of mental health care for traumatic stress disorders. JBFCS expanded the program design in an effort to keep the program viable for the long-term.

The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services will focus on providing readjustment counseling and links to mental health services to veterans and their families in the Bronx, in partnership with the Bronx VA Medical Center.

The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS) has been treating social problems for more than 110 years. Today, JBFCS is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit mental health and social service agencies, serving more than 65,000 New Yorkers annually from all religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds through a comprehensive range of 185 community-based
programs, residential facilities, and day-treatment centers.

The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services will focus on providing readjustment counseling and links to mental health services to veterans and their families in the Bronx, in partnership with the Bronx VA Medical Center. This project demonstrates coordination and collaboration between a community-based mental health services provider and a local VA Medical Center.