Faulkner University tells Montgomery County commission it is expanding therapy, veterans and special‑needs services and seeks partnership
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Summary
Faulkner University President Mitch Henry outlined a suite of health and special‑needs services — including a Center for Therapy and Research that has delivered about 50,000 free clinic visits, a veterans mental‑health clinic (grand opening 2026‑03‑06) and a planned inclusive playground — and asked the commission to consider partnering on operations and future visits to campus.
Faulkner University President Mitch Henry told the Montgomery County Commission that the university has built a growing set of health‑care programs aimed at filling gaps in services for children, adults with special needs and veterans. "Since it opened, we provided and we will provide and celebrate by the end of this month 50,000 free therapy visits for children and adults," Henry said, describing the university’s Center for Therapy and Research and its PATH training program for health‑care workers.
Henry said Faulkner offers speech‑language pathology, physical and occupational therapy and licensed clinical mental‑health counseling and is developing a CTI program to serve children from birth through young adulthood. He described an "Eagle Care" mobile clinic intended to bring services to rural areas and said the university is partnering with Baptist Hospital, East Alabama Medical Center, Troy Regional Medical Center and the Alabama Department of Public Health.
The president proposed an inclusive therapeutic recreation complex in a converted 40,000‑square‑foot former retail space, which would include a Miracle League‑style padded field and a supervised inclusive playground. Henry said the university has received a major private contribution for the project and is continuing to raise private funds; "we're not looking for any dollars this year," he told commissioners, adding the university would seek county consideration in a future budget year. He also invited commissioners to a grand opening for the veterans mental‑health center on March 6, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.
Faulkner representatives at the meeting named staff who will lead programs and services, including a retired colonel serving as a veterans counselor and an autism coordinator who is a Faulkner graduate and former state Department of Mental Health employee. County commissioners welcomed the presentation and said the work could help keep families with special‑needs children in Montgomery rather than relocating to larger cities where services are more available.
The presentation covered funding sources in general terms: Henry and his team said grant funding (state and federal pass‑throughs), fee‑for‑service contracts, private philanthropy and occasional legislative dollars support the clinics and training programs. Henry also described a simulation center and training programs intended for school nurses and EMTs. The university said it would provide additional budget and cost details on request and that many clinic visits are provided free or on a sliding scale for people who are uninsured or on Medicaid.
The commission did not take formal action at the session; Faulkner asked only for the county’s consideration of future partnership opportunities and extended invitations for commissioners to tour the campus. The most immediate procedural follow‑up is likely staff coordination on scheduling a campus visit and potential inclusion of partnership requests on a later agenda.