?ROCKWELL – Nazareth Children’s Home has merged with Carolina Counseling and Consultation to enhance the services provided to children and families in need in North Carolina.
The two agencies officially joined on Oct. 1.
“It wasn’t born out of financial need or to eliminate duplication of services. It was part of a plan in long-range that came out of our board meeting two years ago,” said Vernon Walters Jr., president and CEO of Nazareth Children’s Home.
The board of trustees approved a three-year growth strategy with the goal to provide more services to children and families.
Walters said the merger came about because of the changing climate in child care and mental health, along with growing financial challenges and a greater demand for quality services. The merger will be meeting the growing needs of clients and result in better outcomes for children and families.
All client services through this merger will substantially benefit from this partnership and we are very excited about what the future holds as we move forward in meeting the needs of state agencies and other consumers in the community, he said.
After the merger, Nazareth Children’s Home will serve three counties in the Cardinal Innovations, formerly PBH, catchment area.
This partnership will offer an effective and comprehensive array of services for children, youth and families through its existing programs.
The merger will also combine their individual expertise and allow for the development of new, innovative services and programs, a statement said.
Carolina Counseling and Consultation (CCC) was founded in July 2006 by Jim A. Mallinson Jr., the president/CEO, to provide alcohol and substance use counseling services in Rowan County.
In August 2009, Gregory P. Yousey joined Carolina Counseling and Consultation as vice president and clinical director.
Carolina Counseling and Consultation grew, allowing them to provide services in the Rowan-Salisbury School System and an additional office site in Lexington at 8 West 5th Ave.
In September, the agency opened an office at 936 Copperfield Blvd., Concord. The main office is located at 417 North Main St., Suite B in Salisbury.
The staff works together to provide both individual and group outpatient therapy. Some of the other services Carolina Counseling and Consultation provides are school-based therapy, psychiatric services, outpatient substance abuse therapy and parenting groups.
Both Mallinson and Yousey say they are excited to have the opportunity to expand the impact of their services by merging with Nazareth Children’s Home.
Nazareth Children’s Home was founded in 1906. Nazareth provides a safe place to live for abused and neglected children through group homes and family foster care.
Nazareth also provides therapeutic foster care, transitional living services for young adults, level II therapeutic residential, short term care for females and family style group living.
Nazareth’s main office is located in Rockwell. Nazareth Children’s Home is nationally accredited with Council on Accreditation and maintains a private nonprofit status.
“Embracing lives and transforming futures,” will continue to be our vision, the statement said.