LifeWays Access Centers
Jackson: (517) 789-1200 • Hours: M-F 8am-7pm
Hillsdale: (517) 439-2641 • Hours: M-F 8am-6pm

24-Hour Crisis Line: 1-800-284-8288

Customer Services & Recipient Rights Offices
Phone: (517) 780-3332 • Fax: (517) 789-7564
Toll-Free: (866) 630-3690 • Hours: M-F 8am-5pm
Empowering individuals on their journey to wellness.
 
LifeWays Access Center
Jackson: (517) 789-1200
Hours: M-F 8am-7pm
1200 N. West Avenue
Jackson, MI 49202

Hillsdale: (517) 439-2641
Hours: M-F 8am-6pm
25 Care Drive
Hillsdale, MI 49242

Physicians Unit
Jackson: (517) 796-4540
Hours: M-F 8am-5pm
1200 N. West Avenue
Jackson, MI 49202

Hillsdale: (517) 439-9327
Hours: M-F 8am-5pm
25 Care Drive
Hillsdale, MI 49242

Customer Services & Recipient Rights Offices
Local: (517) 780-3332
Toll-Free: (866) 630-3690
Hours: M-F 8am-5pm
1200 N. West Avenue
Jackson, MI 49202
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About Us


LifeWays is the Community Mental Health Agency for Jackson and Hillsdale Counties. We provide specialty mental health services to individuals with Medicaid, living in Jackson or Hillsdale Counties. Once someone receives a screening and assessment by LifeWays, he/she is referred to one of over 70 different service providers in our network, which serves adults with a mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance and individuals with developmental disabilities. Our network also serves individuals with a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder.

LifeWays serves individuals with Medicaid in Jackson and Hillsdale Counties. We also serve the uninsured who meet medical necessity for specialty mental health services for severe mental illness, developmental disabilities or serious emotional disturbance. Crisis intervention services are available to any community member.
Eligibility

In general, we manage services for Medicaid recipients or uninsured individuals in Jackson & Hillsdale counties with:

- Serious mental illness (adults)
- Serious emotional disturbance (children)
- Developmental disability (adults/children)
- Substance abuse - Medicaid only

Every service offered through the Lifeways Provider Network has specific eligibility criteria, which are defined in the LifeWays Provider Manual. Every individual is individually assessed by LifeWays, and at least annually by their primary Treating Provider thereafter.  From these assessments, levels of care, types of services and anticipated lengths of stay / intensity of service are determined and authorized accordingly. If you're not sure whether or not you're eligible, just call us at (800) 284-8288.
Our Mission: Empowering individuals on their journey to wellness.

Our Vision: LifeWays is a catalyst for improved community health by ensuring the provision of effective, high quality mental health services.

Our Values:
  • Strategic Partnerships:  Collaborative efforts that embrace diverse perspectives and a wide range of inputs.
  • Exceptional Service:  All customer interactions result in a positive experience and fostered relationships.
  • Innovative:  Improvement opportunities are maximized through a dedication to learning, leading, and teaching for today and tomorrow.
  • Integrity:  Through personal accountability and adherence to professional ethics, LifeWays is a steward of the public trust.
  • Intergenerational Equity: Current and future generations of stakeholders will continue to benefit from LifeWays’ resources.
  • Person-Directed Care: Consumer’s achieve positive outcomes through individualized services.

Click here to view the LifeWays 2011 - 2012 Strategic Plan.

CARF Accredited Services

LifeWays has been awarded the highest level of accreditation by CARF International for Services Management Network.

CARF accreditation is a public seal of trust and commitment to quality based on internationally accepted standards. Achieving this accreditation demonstrates LifeWays' commitment to exceptional, personalized care. An organization receiving the highest level of CARF accreditation has undergone a detailed peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors, during an on-site visit, its commitment to providing programs and services of the highest quality. For more information on CARF, visit www.carf.org.
Information for Media Outlets

Research has shown that graphic, sensationalized or romanticized descriptions of suicide deaths in the news media can contribute to suicide contagion, popularly referred to as “copycat” suicides. Media reports on suicide can also be a source of misinformation; for example, when suicide is attributed in a single event such as the loss of a job or a relationship, with no mention of underlying factors such as the individual’s depression, substance abuse, or lack of access to treatment for these conditions.

Responsible coverage of suicide, in contrast, can educate wide audiences about the likely causes of suicide, its warning signs, trends in suicide rates, recent treatment advances and other ways suicide can be prevented. Stories about well-known figures who have successfully sought treatment for depression, alcoholism and other conditions that convey suicide risk can also be a powerful impetus for readers to address such issues in their own lives.

For ideas on how to best cover sensitive issues like mental health and suicide prevention in a thoughtful and constructive manner, you can check out suggestions developed by the Annenberg Public Policy Center in conjunction with leading suicide prevention experts and journalists.
 
Click here to download the Guide to Engaging the Media in Suicide Prevention, developed by the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA.
 
For media inquiries during business hours or after hours, please contact Heather English, LifeWays Public Relations & Marketing Manager at 517.936.6337.