Mary Jo Whitfield of Jewish Family & Children’s Service Receives Legacy Award
(PHOENIX – Aug. 2, 2019) – Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), an organization known for strengthening the community by providing behavioral health, healthcare and social services to all ages, faiths and backgrounds, today announced that Mary Jo Whitfield, vice president of integrated health, received the ASU Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy Legacy Award on July 18 for her enduring work in the behavioral health community.
Whitfield has wide-ranging experience developing and implementing programs within Medicaid systems providing services to children and families, people with substance abuse disorders and people with serious mental illness.
Whitfield also created the Maricopa County Peer and Family Mentoring program for Direct Care Clinics. Her other accomplishments include the Zero to Five Project and the Integrated Health Project. She also established the successful Youth in Transition to Adulthood Program for young adults between the ages of 16 and 21 who need help preparing for the future. The program helps with career planning, college enrollment, housing, daily living skills, finance management and behavioral health issues. Today the Maricopa County evidence-based program is one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States.
ASU’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy gives annual awards to recognize the outstanding accomplishments, passion and commitment of leaders in the field.
About Jewish Family & Children’s Service
Jewish Family & Children’s Service is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that strengthens the community by providing behavioral health, healthcare and social services to all ages, faiths and backgrounds. At JFCS we hope for a future where families are strong, where our elders are cared for and where children are safe. Our dedication to our mission is strengthened by our commitment to our core Jewish values that honor community and the continuity of the generations.
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