Elwyn

Overview:

Elwyn isn’t a character out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It’s a not-for-profit organization that serves some 13,000 disabled and disadvantaged people of all ages at multiple sites through education, rehabilitation, and vocational counseling. The organization also operates residential communities, including more than 80 group homes and apartments, and provides a variety of health care services for persons with developmental, physical, and emotional disabilities. The group also publishes training materials and hosts conferences and seminars for human services professionals. Founded in 1852 as a school for children with mental retardation, Elwyn is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the US.

Elwyn operates two for-profit subsidiaries. Its PEMS unit, an applied technology service, provides a variety of enhanced management services. The organization’s Grace Pharmacy, Inc., is a full-service pharmacy operation that specializes in long-term care clients.

At a time when most people with mental disabilities were left to live on the streets or thrown in prison, Dr. Alfred Elwyn proposed a special school to help “feeble-minded children.” The school attracted the best minds of the time and grew quickly, adding residential services and custodial care of adults in 1877. Elwyn’s main campus is in Philadelphia with satellite locations in California, New Jersey, and Delaware.