The Lackawanna-Susquehanna (L-S) Behavioral Health Intellectual Disabilities Early Intervention (BHIDEI) Program serves more than 13,000 individuals through various providers of behavioral health and intellectual disabilities services.

The program’s service area consists of two Northeastern Pennsylvania counties – Lackawanna and Susquehanna – which have a combined population of more than 255,000 residents.

The BHIDEI program was started in 1967 under provisions of the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Act passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Each year, LSBHIDEI spends nearly $67 million in public funds to make sure the behavioral health and intellectual disabilities needs of its service area communities are met.

The program’s primary goal is to facilitate the inclusion and full participation of all persons with behavioral health in their local community.  It organizes itself to proactively address the planning, development, procurement, management, and evaluation of services, thereby enhancing consumer satisfaction and positive personal outcomes.

And finally, the BHIDEI program assumes a leadership role in collaboration with consumers, families, advocates, providers and local government to ensure full participation of persons in their communities