For Susan Caplinger, Pathways Forward is always there.
Caplinger, of Harrisburg, lives with her daughter, Sky, 19. Life has served them a series of challenges as mother and daughter each bear diagnoses of autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, learning disabilities and “lots of other things,” Caplinger said recently.
A private, nonprofit organization, Pathways Forward of Dauphin County provides case management services for county residents needing mental health, autism and developmental disabilities support, or early intervention services.
Each client is assigned a case worker who arranges and oversees their care on a continuous basis for as long as necessary. Eligibility is determined on a case-by-case basis.
For Caplinger, Pathways Forward has done more than simply provide her family with access to mental health, autism, developmental delay and other related services. They’re also there for her, she said.
“A caseworker comes to our home to visit each month and makes sure my daughter and I are all right,” Caplinger said. “They helped us find therapy and a new doctor, and now they are getting us into family counseling. They helped us find a new house, too.”
The roots of Pathways Forward trace back to 1990 when Dauphin County initiated the Dauphin County MH/MR Case Management Unit for meeting the service needs of community members seeking help for mental health or challenges surrounding intellectual developmental disability/autism. The organization’s name was shortened to Case Management Unit, then later changed to the acronym CMU before acquiring its current moniker in 2024.
The organization lists its mission as “charting paths and creating opportunity for adults, children and families to live full and inclusive lives in their communities.” Likewise, its stated vision is “to uplift communities, so all individuals and families independently achieve their highest potential.”
Important Need
Pathways Forward CEO/Executive Director Patrick Slattery is the catalyst behind the organization’s 2024 name change.
In fact, the new name and branding process was part of his recruitment by Pathways’ board of directors for accepting the job, he said.
“The name change shows a better representation of what we do,” noted Slattery, of New Cumberland. “CMU was just an acronym and didn’t really mean anything to most people.”
Slattery came to Pathways 2½ years ago after a 30-year career at a KidsPeace mental health facility in Maryland. After that, he returned to the area to care for his parents for a year before they passed.
“It was very difficult, but there were a lot of memories made,” he said.
At Pathways, Slattery oversees assistance programs for 6,000 to 7,000 people per year at its main facility in Harrisburg and a satellite location in Elizabethville. The cooperative is funded at 40% through a county contract, with other funding derived through Medicaid with “some donations and some grants,” according to Slattery. As is, Medicaid funding “always trails behind the rising prices of our services,” he noted.
“Most people we serve are going through the most important time of their lives and need our help to get better,” Slattery said. “When mental health people get into recovery, they’re happier. We also help with early intervention services that help children develop properly.”
Pathways board President Doug Hill was recruited for service after retiring in 2019. “Then (Dauphin County Commissioner) George Hartwick called,” Hill said.
After 36 years as executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, Hill said he was “already familiar” with how Pathways (then CMU) works. Prior to that, he was director of research and later, chief lobbyist for the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and still serves on several other regional boards.
Hill believes that Pathways Forward is vital to the area because its services “meet an important need in the community.”
“It involves clients, families and caregivers so that clients can thrive in a community setting,” Hill said. “We work with a wonderful staff who are absolutely dedicated to the job they do and the consumers they serve.”
Pathways Forward staffers are just as pleased with the outcomes they’ve helped achieve.
“I love to see them get better,” Slattery said. “That’s the ultimate pride, to see them getting the proper treatment and help that they need.”
Pathways Forward is located at 1100 S. Cameron St., Harrisburg, and 295 State Dr., Elizabethville. For more information, visit www.pathfwd.org.
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