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Strong Ties Community Support Program

Key leadership names:

Robert L. Weisman, D.O., Medical Director
Andrea Pellegrino, B.A., Administrator
John Wegman, M.S., C.R.C., Coordinator of Case Management Services
David Szulgit, M.P.A., L.C.S.W., Director of Continuing Day Treatment
Thomas Jewell, Ph.D., Director of the Family Institute for Education, Research, and Practice

Contact Information:

Intake Coordinator, (585) 279-4900

Location of Service:

2613 West Henrietta Road, Rochester, New York 14623

Hours of Operation:

8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Some evening groups
24-hour telephone emergency service

Mission of Service:

Through cultural competent caring, teaching, and research, we help adults and their families recover from severe mental illness.

Target Population:

Adults, ages 18 - 65, with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI)

Description of Service Providers:

Our service is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers including psychiatrists, physicians dually trained in both medicine and psychiatry, clinical psychologists, nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurse specialists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselors, case managers, and program advisors.

Types of Services Provided:

Strong Ties has an Outpatient Clinic and a Continuing Day Treatment Program that provide individual, group, and family services. Specialty programs include such services as mobile treatment teams, liaison with the criminal justice system, intensive outreach, and health services to Spanish-speaking clients. Specialized group treatment is available for clients who have both severe mental illness and substance use problems or personality disorders. Case management services are available for clients whose illnesses have prevented them from accessing mental health, social, and medical services. We have a convenient, on-site pharmacy. Clients can also obtain primary healthcare services and have blood work done here on the premises.

Special Features:

Strong Ties is unique because:

  • Strong Ties is the only area program that focuses on the treatment of severe mental illness in adults. We are committed to helping clients and their families recover from severe mental illness and achieve personal goals.
  • Strong Ties has the area's only Office of Mental Health-licensed Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Program which provides mobile outreach and treatment to clients who need extra support and assistance to live in the community.
  • Strong Ties is home to the Family Institute for Education, Research, and Practice.
  • Strong Ties features Project Link, a specialty program designed to prevent arrest and incarceration among multicultural populations with severe mental illness. Project Link won the 1999 American Psychiatric Association Gold Award for innovation and excellence and the 1998 and 1999 Eli Lilly Schizophrenia Reintegration Awards.
  • Strong Ties features Lazos Fuertes, which offers integrated medical and behavioral health services to Spanish-speaking clients.
  • Strong Ties features the Medicine in Psychiatry Service (MIPS), specializing in providing primary care to persons with severe mental illness.
  • Strong Ties has a full-service pharmacy on the premises.
  • Strong Ties is a regional research center for the development of effective new medications.
  • Strong Ties provides weekend outreach and crisis intervention services to all clients.