Circare News and Events

Helio Health and Circare Join Forces to Strengthen Community Care

Syracuse, NY―January 1,2025 Two organizations deeply committed to enhancing the health and well-being of individuals, Helio Health and Circare, formally announce their affiliation and planned merger as Helio Health.

This affiliation combines Helio Health’s commitment to mental health, substance use, and recovery services with Circare’s comprehensive care coordination and support for individuals with complex needs.

“The affiliation represents an exciting opportunity for Helio Health and Circare. By working together, we are taking a significant step forward in delivering comprehensive and compassionate care to individuals and families” , said Kathleen Gaffney-Babb, President and CEO, Helio Health.

“The affiliation combining the collective expertise and complementary programming of Helio Health and Circare is a monumental opportunity to significantly increase and improve opportunities for recovery and care for those who need it most in our community. This partnership promises to bring about positive change and enhance the well-being of countless individuals”, said Daniel Kelley, Circare Board President

Helio Health has been at the forefront of addressing the needs of individuals seeking substance use and mental health treatment support. With this new affiliation the organization takes another step in transforming lives and strengthening the community.

About Helio Health

Our mission is to promote recovery from the effects of substance use and mental health disorders and other health issues. We provide services in Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, Utica, Gloversville, and surrounding counties in New York State. Since 1920, Helio Health programs have helped hundreds of thousands of individuals and families in Central New York. 

About Circare

Circare was founded in 1989 as Onondaga Case Management Services in response to the New York State Office of Mental Health’s initiative to provide intensive case management services to individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses. Clinical, vocational, peer-based, forensic, and crisis-intervention services for youth and their families were added to further support the community.

For more information, please contact Florence Dukes at: fdukes@helio.health or by phone at 585.287.5626 ext. 4110. To learn more about Helio Health please visit our website at www.helio.health, follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok or like us on Facebook.

1/24/25

Parent Project Hosted by Circare

Circare is excited to offer a new program to parents and caregivers in Onondaga County. With funding from the American Rescue Plan COVID-19 Response program through Onondaga County’s Children and Family Services Department, our team will provide the Parent Project® to community residents this summer and fall.

The Parent Project® is an evidence-based program designed to help parents and other caregivers learn effective solutions for raising difficult or out-of-control children. Our experienced trainers will show parents how to practice specific prevention and behavioral intervention strategies for Attention Deficit Disorder, angry outbursts, truancy and school performance issues, alcohol and substance use, self-harm and suicidality. These programs, including all materials, are free for up to 60 parents and caregivers.

The two programs within Parent Project, Loving Solutions (for parents of 5- to 10-year olds) and Changing Destructive Adolescent Behavior (for parents of 11- to 19-years olds), are designed to offer strategies for handling some of the most difficult behaviors in the child’s age group. The courses are conducted over 10 weeks, meeting once per week at Circare’s office. For parents with young children, we are also offering free on-site childcare during the sessions.

Families who have participated in this program before have shown improvement in their parenting skills and knowledge, reduction in family conflict, improvement in their child’s school attendance and a reduction of their child’s juvenile justice involvement.

Interested in learning more? If you are an Onondaga County resident and care for a child, age 5-18, who is exhibiting challenging behaviors that are creating concerns at home, school and in the community, contact us about the Parent Project at (315) 472-7363 or at mseeley@cir.care.

5/23/22

Announcing the Youth ACT Team at Circare

Circare is pleased to announce that our agency received an award from the NYS Office of Mental Health to establish a Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program for Onondaga County. This multi-disciplinary program will help children ages 10 to 21 with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families to provide intensive intervention to support complex needs. The ultimate goal is to keep children at risk of hospitalization or residential care in their homes while they receive the treatment and supports they need.

The Youth ACT team consists of staff with a variety of skills and training, including licensed mental health professionals, peer support and clinical staff. The entire team works with each individual and their families to keep children in their homes, engage families in treatment, help children and families acquire developmentally appropriate skills and facilitate healthy interactions and relationships.

Executive Director of Circare Scott Ebner said, “Circare is honored to receive funding for a Youth ACT Team in Onondaga County. The ACT model is a necessary addition to the continuum of care services needed to support families with complex needs to be successful in the community and prevent further disruption to the health of families by avoiding institutional care. The establishment of a team-based approach to care delivered in the community setting is necessary to better engage families from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Youth ACT will make our community stronger and better able to support youth and families who experience challenges with behavioral health issues.”

Please see Governor Hochul’s announcement of the establishment of 15 Youth ACT programs across the state, including Onondaga County.

We are currently building this team. If you are interested in becoming a part of a new program designed to help children of Onondaga County, please check our current employment opportunities for postings.

3/29/22

COVID-19

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of our programs are currently operating with increased safeguards for staff and the people we serve. We have shifted our services to a combination of telephonic, telehealth (audio and visual), and face to face contact based on the needs of people that we serve. We continue to have face to face interactions in the community as required to support individuals we serve based on conditions in the community, with the greatest protection we can provide for staff and the individuals as we return to operating as we have in the past. We require our staff and clients to wear masks during any interaction either in the community or in our office, based on guidance from NYS and the CDC due to our status as a healthcare facility. Our phones and on-call systems continue to operate as normal and all of our staff can be reached by phone or email exactly as you have in the past.

We would like to thank the following individuals and entities for donating much-needed supplies, equipment and COVID-19 rapid tests as we continue to provide our essential services:

Agencies, Companies and Offices:

• Assemblymember Pamela Hunter, Assembly District 128
• Budmen Industries/American High
• Cricket Wireless (Imani Holt), 1021 Geddes St, Syracuse
• Hanesbrands, Inc.
• Infinit Technology Solutions
• NYS Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services
• NYS Office of Mental Health
• Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management
• Syracuse Chinese Community COVID-19 Drive
• Wegmans
• Westcott Vineyard Church

Individuals:

• Fahed Fazaa
• Mary Godinez
• Susan Lisk
• Kit McDaniels