Woods Services Plans To Affiliate With NJ Behavioral Health Organization

August 8, 2023

The Woods Services entrance off Maple Avenue in Middletown. File photo.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

Middletown Township-based Woods Services and New Jersey-based Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services have declared their intention to affiliate.

Woods Services, which currently supports over 22,000 individuals across Pennsylvania and New Jersey, aims to join forces with Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services, which aids more than 4,000 people in 10 northern New Jersey counties through crisis interventions and psychiatric screenings annually, according to a recent announcement from the two organizations.

The affiliation will increase services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism, the organizations said.

The two organizations said in a statement that they anticipate receiving regulatory approval within the next several months and will quickly formalize the affiliation afterward.

Upon approval, Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services will be integrated with Woods Service’s three other New Jersey affiliates: Legacy Treatment Services, Allies, Inc., and Archway Programs.

“Woods and Bridgeway have explored an affiliation over the past several years. We are pleased today to announce that with the approval of our boards, we are a step closer to partnering to expand programs significantly over the coming years to serve individuals with behavioral healthcare needs in New Jersey,” said Tine Hansen-Turton, president & CEO of Woods Services, Woods Resources, and Woods System of Care.

“Bridgeway’s collaboration enables us to work together to serve even more individuals who seek behavioral healthcare services,” said Cory Storch, president and CEO of Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services.

The partnership will give Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services, which has been in operation for 50 years, access to Woods Service’s vast resources, from back-office services to strategic and operational guidance.

Woods Services, which was founded in 1913, will benefit by expanding its New Jersey footprint.

“Our organizations and organizational cultures are aligned, which strengthens our ability to provide much-needed, person-centered care to an underserved population,” said Barry Sharer, Woods Services board chair.