A trio of Bloomington-Normal service providers is collaborating to increase youth access to health and wellness opportunities.
Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Lifelong Access in Normal and the Regional Office of Education [ROE] plan to open a space in downtown Bloomington by 2026 that will offer services like dental hygiene, food support and counseling — all primarily for youth.
Puneet Leekha, chief operating officer and incoming chief executive officer at Chestnut Health Systems, said additional services are still being determined — as is a building — but the initiative should support those in McLean County with identifying where to go when they need help.
“It's almost a little bit confusing for folks who need to access care to figure out where to go, when to go, how to get there, and so the idea behind this is that we would co-locate as many social services as possible that makes sense for this particular target population so that it's easy for them to access care,” he said. “It's all about access.”
Lifelong Access CEO Brian Wipperman said the hope is for additional service providers to join the effort and fill in any gaps for care that Chestnut, Lifelong Access and the ROE don't cover.
As for each organization’s role, Leekha said Chestnut will prioritize health services, such as dental care, substance abuse treatment and counseling. Lifelong Access will have additional behavioral health services, as well as therapy specifically designed for people with autism. ROE will offer educational services.
Offering food services also is important, Whipperman said, since there’s somewhat of a food desert in the downtown area. He added that housing support is of interest, too, although Wipperman and Leekha said none of the services are final. The group is still in the planning phase.
Wipperman walked through how the intake process might look for people once a building is acquired and the program launches:
“Someone can come in and say… we need supports from A, B and C and that person greeting them can walk them to A, and then bring them down to B when that's over, and then head them over to C,” he said. “Because we know that for some of our families in our community, the ability to get places… is a barrier, and the hope here is truly to remove as many barriers to care as humanly possible.”
While the facility will mainly service youth, Leekha said there will naturally be a need to assist families, as well, which the group is prepared to do. [Chestnut and Lifelong Access also have programs that provide care to adults already.]
Data shows need
Leekha said the youth focus was informed by data and knowledge of the youth mental health concerns in the area. He pointed out that last year in McLean County, 3,200 youth were living in poverty and 3,300 had a mental health crisis.
“The better we can care for them, the better our future becomes,” he said.
Wipperman said research shows services have stronger impacts when provided earlier in life.
The earliest McLean County residents can expect to access the proposed continuum of care is January 2026.
Leekha said the project is still in the fundraising phase, but the group has applied for a capital grant through the Illinois Department of Health Care and Family Services it is hopeful of getting. They’re also eyeing a building in downtown Bloomington that is being reviewed for viability.
Location is key, Wipperman added, since it will need to be an adaptable space that will change alongside service needs over time.
“We don't want to pigeonhole ourselves into something that only fits today's needs, but it can fit tomorrow's needs as well,” he said.
As individuals, Leekha and Wipperman both sit on the CEO Council that is supporting Bloomington’s streetscape plan. Both said they think their collaborative effort will tie in nicely with the overall efforts to revitalize downtown over the next several years.
