As the country started to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Susan Resko saw a silver lining to the previous tumultuous years when people were safe distancing and wearing surgical masks to stay safe.
“The pandemic normalized seeking mental health care,” said Resko, CEO and president of Josselyn, a behavioral health provider. “It had been shifting, but it was the pandemic that made a really big change to people’s perceptions.”
She explained support from the state and private foundations helped the company keep up as the need increased.
“If people don’t have good mental health they can’t work. They can’t raise healthy families. They can’t complete their education,” Resko said.
In June, Josselyn was listed in Crain’s Chicago Business Fast 50 list for 2024. The list showcases the 50 fastest-growing companies in the region and offers insights on local economic growth trends.
Josselyn – with clinics in Grayslake, Highland Park, Highwood, Northbrook, Northfield and Waukegan with hopes to further expand its service – was the only non-profit organization on the list. Crain’s and Resko said the selection reflects Josselyn’s rapid growth and “unwavering commitment” to providing quality low cost mental health care in more than 300 communities around the Chicago area.
Some of the factors Crain’s considers in its determinations include organic growth, acquisitions and expansion, according to their website.
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“This year’s winners saw five-year median revenue growth of an impressive 505% and an average revenue increase of 2,375%, driven by the enormous growers topping our list,” Crain’s website read. “Logistics, construction and consumer service sectors lead the way, with six companies apiece.”
Resko hopes the company’s inclusion on the list will bring more attention to its mission, saying the organizations relies on donations.
“It starts with finding donors that want to help us with building the infrastructure,” she explained. “We then need to hire quality clinicians. That’s probably one of our biggest challenges because of the severe workforce shortages going on in health care across the board. It’s been going on for a long time in mental health care.”
Josselyn is addressing the shortage through a “farm system” it started with interns they offer to hire when they’ve completed their education. That’s how Josselyn built its team of clinicians from eight when she started in 2015 to 150 today, Rosko said.
“That’s the formula we’ve been using,” she said.
Josselyn’s range of services include therapy, psychiatry, case management, crisis support and specialized youth programming combined with a focus on accessibility to mental health care. The organization recently opened its eighth location to help serve nearly 8,000 clients across Cook and Lake counties including a new 11,000 square foot building in Grayslake.
Resko also said it’s fitting that Josselyn receive the Crain’s award in June, which is Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
“I think more people are understanding that taking care of your mental health is just as important, if not more, than taking care of your physical health,’ she said.
Josselyn is in the midst of a $20 million capital campaign and is currently renovating a 70,000 square foot building in downtown Waukegan while operating out of a separate rented space in that city. The new Waukegan office, set to open next year, will include 70 therapy offices, a walk-in clinic and support over 100 clinicians. Three floors of the Northbrook building still need remodeling, according to the company’s Chief Growth Officer Ami Campbell.
“We do really focus on those who don’t have access,” she said. “Low income individuals. About 88% of (our clients) there are low income. We provide a sliding fee scale for people who can’t afford it or don’t have access to Medicaid.”
Resko said seeking treatment for mental health problems is finally emerging from the shadows and is much less stigmatized then it used to be.
“You can bury this and keep letting it affect you,” she said. “These conditions don’t go away. They tend to get worse over time if they’re not treated so I would say give it a try.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.
This story has been updated to clarify Josselyn’s expansion plans and the length of time it has operated out of Waukegan. The update also corrected the location of the Waukegan building Josselyn is renovating.