Penn Foundation Celebrates 5 Years of Expanded Mental Health Care

This summer marks the fifth anniversary of Penn Foundation's merger with St. Luke’s University Health Network, a partnership that has strengthened access to high-quality, integrated mental health services throughout eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Today, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation (SLPF) operates 35 inpatient and outpatient programs across more than 30 locations, making it the largest fully integrated network of mental health and addiction treatment services in the region. Through a compassionate, personalized and holistic approach, SLPF provides comprehensive care that addresses the mental, physical and emotional well-being of those it serves.

“Over the past five years, we have expanded our reach, enhanced the quality of our services and strengthened our ability to meet the growing mental health needs of our communities,” said Wayne A. Mugrauer, who served as president of Penn Foundation before the merger and continues to lead St. Luke’s Penn Foundation today. “As part of the Network ranked #1 in the nation for quality, safety, and patient experience, we are able to provide fully integrated mental health and medical care that improves outcomes and enhances the lives of the people we serve.”

Mental health has long been a strategic priority for St. Luke’s, and it has consistently ranked as a top need in St. Luke’s Community Health Needs Assessment. In 2018, the Network tripled the number of its mental health inpatient beds, becoming the region's largest provider of inpatient mental health services. Later, St. Luke’s Sacred Heart in Allentown opened the Lehigh Valley's first Level IV medical detoxification unit, providing 24-hour medical supervision for individuals withdrawing from alcohol and other substances.

Since joining St. Luke’s in 2021, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation has achieved a number of significant accomplishments, including:

• Expanded Mobile Engagement Services (MES) into Lehigh County and lower Bucks County, bringing addiction outreach, crisis intervention and care coordination to more individuals in need.
• Launched Victory for Veterans, a specialized program providing trauma-informed mental health, substance use and social services support for veterans, first in Carbon County and later expanding into Schuylkill and Monroe counties.
• Opened a Mental Health Walk-in Center in Lehighton, providing immediate access to assessments, crisis support and connections to ongoing treatment.
• Increased access to community-based care for children and adolescents through Your Emotional Strength Supported! (YESS!), a school-based counseling program.
• Expanded Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, including the opening of a new Bethlehem location to support continued growth and improve access for employers and employees.
• Advanced the integration of mental health and primary care services through embedded clinicians and collaborative care models that provide coordinated treatment in a single care setting.
• Secured a federally funded Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant, enhancing access to comprehensive services, strengthening care coordination and expanding community partnerships.
• Opened a new outpatient office in Tamaqua, expanding access to high-quality mental health services in a rural community where access to care can be challenging. The office also leverages the expertise of St. Luke’s Rural Psychiatry residents, who provide counseling and other outpatient services while gaining valuable clinical experience.
• Expanded the Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program, broadening the age range served and increasing capacity to meet growing demand for intensive mental health treatment. The expansion enables more youth to receive structured, therapeutic support while remaining connected to their families, schools and communities.
• Launched two new Graduate Medical Education programs - Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry Fellowships - to help address workforce shortages and train the next generation of mental health specialists. These additions bring the total number of mental health-related training programs to four, joining Psychiatry and Rural Psychiatry.
• Unified services under a single identity, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation Mental Health Services, and launched an integrated website, StLukesPennFoundation.org, to improve access to information and resources.
• Transitioned to a single electronic health record system, creating one comprehensive medical record that integrates physical and mental health information and supports more coordinated care.

"The last five years have been transformative," Mugrauer said. "Through new programs, expanded locations, integrated care models and strategic investments in access, we've been able to reach more individuals and families than ever before. From veterans and youth to people facing addiction, mental illness or a mental health crisis, our focus remains on ensuring that high-quality care is available whenever and wherever it is needed."