The Ruth Ellis Health & Wellness Centers team dedicates itself to centering young people’s and families’ needs and goals; we work together to promote optimal health outcomes for all clients served.
We are grounded in and guided by these core values:
In 2016, we began collaborating with Henry Ford Health to launch our first Health & Wellness Center to serve LGBTQ+ young people. Since then, we’ve added a second facility inside our permanent supportive housing unit, the Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center.
As part of its community health initiative, Henry Ford Health placed dedicated staff specializing in pediatrics, family medicine, infectious diseases, and psychiatry at Ruth Ellis Health & Wellness Centers to deliver hands-on care and medical services to clients ages 13 to 30. There are no out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, lab work, or medications.
Art therapy provides a safe haven for at-risk young people. In Wayne County, Ruth Ellis Center provides Detroit-Wayne County Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) community mental health systems’ only art therapy program with a full art studio.
Through immersive six-week sessions rooted in the Positive Youth Development model, participants explore connection, character, competence, confidence, caring, and compassion through art. Our team coaches young people in an open studio setting to unleash the power of art, nurture resilience, and illuminate brighter futures.
Thanks to this program, young people demonstrated remarkable decreases in depression and anxiety and gained the ability to better function in school, at home, and in the community. They also made unforgettable memories by visiting iconic destinations like the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Michigan Renaissance Festival, The Detroit Zoo, and the Cranbrook Museum of Art.
Six cohorts recently completed this transformative journey with funding courtesy of MDHHS.