PONTIAC (WWJ) — Oakland County is getting a major pledge from Roger Penske and the Penske Family Foundation to bolster mental health services for residents.
The Penske Foundation on Tuesday officially donated $3 million to Oakland County’s Integrated Care Clinic, which offers both behavioral and mental health support, along with physical health services to all comers, whether they’re Oakland County residents or not.
The clinic began with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act and now will be bolstered by the foundation. Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter announced plans for the integrated care center during his 2023 State of the County Address and Honor Community Health “soft launched” the clinic in May.
Penske, speaking to WWJ Newsradio 950’s Jon Hewett, said the clinic has already seen 700 or 800 people at a temporary location in Pontiac.
Now the pledge from the Penske Family Foundation — which has supported veterans, children’s charities and other causes for decades — will help renovate its new, permanent home at the former Sarah J. Weber Media Arts Academy building on Woodward in Pontiac.
“This is a real issue. And I think that we hit it head-on here in Oakland County,” Penske said, noting he became aware of the need for mental health services in the area in the wake of the pandemic.
“We can be a model county in the state and hopefully this will give us leadership throughout the state of Michigan and hopefully it’ll assess some of the other places in the country, say ‘this is a model for mental health,’” Penske said. “It’s not a pledge for three years, it’s a pledge to help attract additional funding for an issue that we’re dealing with not only here in this community, but also around the country and even around the world, when you think about it.”
Penske said he hopes the foundation will carry on with this type of work for decades, even after he’s gone.