Service Access & Management

What Service Access & Management does

Service Access & Management, Inc. (SAM) is a Pennsylvania-based 501(c)(3) non-profit human services organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in Pottsville, PA. The company delivers a portfolio of seven direct-service lines — Administrative Entity Services, County Programs, Children and Youth Services, Early Intervention Services, Mental Health Services, Community Wellness (Long-Term Services and Supports), and Supports Coordination for Developmental Disabilities — to county governments, individuals with mental illness or developmental disabilities, children and youth families, infants and toddlers with developmental delays, older adults at risk, and veterans across all 67 Pennsylvania counties and 8 New Jersey counties, serving more than 42,000 consumers through 20+ county offices and 17 Welcome Centers.

The technology backbone consists of a mobile case management platform enabling field-based documentation, electronic referral intake systems (Targeted Case Management, Early Intervention, and the Electronic School Attendance Improvement Plan / ESAIP), and a public-facing SAM Data Hub publishing strategic plan outcomes. Services are delivered under CARF accreditation, Program Operating Agreements with Pennsylvania's Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Child Developmental and Early Learning, and contracts with Medicaid, Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations, and individual county governments. A parallel SAM Consulting division packages back-office capabilities — fiscal services, administrative services, HR consulting, IT support, safety/privacy training, and an internal podcasting service — for sale to other organizations.

Revenue is generated through government program contracts (managed services model), with funding flowing from Medicaid, county funds, and state-administered behavioral health managed care programs. The leadership team is headed by President and CEO Mary Ann Kowalonek (since January 1, 2023, after serving as CFO) and COO Lori Hartman, with an 11-member Board of Directors chaired by Dr. John G. Vafeas. Growth has been entirely organic — no M&A, no venture capital, no PE ownership — driven by county contract wins, geographic expansion (most recently Wayne County in 2026), and adjacent service-line buildouts in both direct services and consulting.

Name

Service Access & Management

Legal name

Service Access & Management, Inc.

Website

https://sam-inc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Service Access & Management is a Pennsylvania-based non-profit human services organization delivering case management, early intervention, mental health, developmental disability supports, and administrative services to county governments and vulnerable populations across all 67 PA counties and 8 NJ counties, serving more than 42,000 consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• Human services management
• Case management services
• Supports coordination
• Administrative entity services
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Pottsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Program Contracts: Services are funded through Medicaid and Behavioral Health Managed Care organizations. In some counties, services may also be supported through county funds. SAM provides services under Program Operating Agreements with the Office of Developmental Programs and Office of Child Developmental and Early Learning.
2. County Administrative Entity Contracts: Counties delegate various administrative functions to SAM through contractual agreements. SAM performs functions on behalf of counties while maintaining contact with each county and recognizing that they remain responsible.
3. Early Intervention Services: Services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities, funded through government programs.
4. Housing Assistance Programs: Various housing assistance programs including HOPE Transitional Housing, Master Leasing, Shelter + Care, Transition-Age Youth Program, and Supported Living Program with rental assistance based on income.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Service Access & Management (SAM) is a non-profit human services organization delivering coordinated case management, supports coordination, early intervention, mental health, children and youth, and community wellness services across Pennsylvania and New Jersey. SAM operates under contracts with county governments and state offices to administer and provide human services, supplemented by a SAM Consulting division offering fiscal, IT, HR, business development, and training services to other agencies.

Product overview

Service Access & Management (SAM) is a non-profit human services organization operating as a portfolio of service lines and consulting services. The company provides direct human services across Pennsylvania and New Jersey through seven core service lines: Administrative Entity Services, County Programs, Children and Youth Services, Early Intervention Services, Mental Health Services, Community Wellness (Long-Term Services and Supports), and Supports Coordination for Developmental Disabilities. Additionally, SAM offers a consulting division providing Business Development, Fiscal Services, Administrative Services, Human Resources Consulting, IT Department Support, Safety Training, Privacy Training, and SAM Podcasts services. The company operates the Advancing School Attendance Program (ASAP) as a specific program, and provides electronic referral systems including the ESAIP for truancy referrals and the Targeted Case Management/Early Intervention referral platforms. SAM serves more than 70 counties throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with operations expanding since 1997 from Berks County to all 67 Pennsylvania counties and 8 New Jersey counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Administrative Entity Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of students improved attendance after 3 months in services (2023-2024)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered growing and core.

• Schuylkill County Society for Pediatric OrthopedicsgrowingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership between SAM and Schuylkill County Society for Pediatric Orthopedics is growing with additional services being added to the contract in 2026.
• Wayne CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SAM announced expansion of services in Wayne County, Pennsylvania with the addition of fiscal personnel to support Wayne County Human Services.
• Geisinger Managed Care OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAM collaborates with Geisinger Managed Care Organization to complete community-based care management with members of the Geisinger Family Plan. Community Health Workers contact members to educate and address social determinants of health.
• Philadelphia Corporation on AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAM collaborates with the Philadelphia Corporation on Aging for the OAPS program to protect older adults in Philadelphia County who lack capacity to protect themselves and are at imminent risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Help at Home: Large multi-state provider of personal care, home and community-based services primarily for Medicaid-eligible seniors and individuals with disabilities. Comparable HCBS funding model and supports-coordination overlap.
• Bayada Home Health Care: Large, multistate home and community-based services provider with strong Pennsylvania footprint offering pediatric and adult home health, habilitation, and supports coordination. Comparable Medicaid-funded model and PA presence.
• Sevita (formerly The MENTOR Network): National provider of home and community-based services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs. Operates at significantly greater scale and breadth than SAM, with similar Medicaid HCBS funding model.
• Volunteers of America: National nonprofit human services organization providing housing, behavioral health, child welfare, and supports coordination across many states, including Pennsylvania. Similar mission-driven service portfolio to SAM.

Direct peers

• Penn-Mar Human Services: Pennsylvania-headquartered nonprofit providing supports coordination, residential, and day services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and behavioral health needs. Directly competes with SAM in PA county contracts.
• RHA Health Services: Multi-state human services provider headquartered in North Carolina with strong Pennsylvania presence in behavioral health, developmental disabilities, and substance use services. Competes for similar county and MCO contracts.
• Merakey (formerly NHS Human Services): Large Pennsylvania-based nonprofit human services organization providing behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disability, and autism services across multiple states. Operates the same Administrative Entity and supports coordination model as SAM with comparable Medicaid/MCO revenue mix.
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Pennsylvania-originated nonprofit operating one of the largest behavioral healthcare networks in the US, serving children and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Overlapping service lines include supports coordination and child/youth services.
• Elwyn: Pennsylvania-based nonprofit serving individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs, with administrative entity experience. Operates residential, day, and supports coordination services competitive with SAM.

Regional players

• Community Care Behavioral Health: Pennsylvania-based Behavioral Health Managed Care Organization and a UPMC affiliate that contracts with county governments and providers like SAM to deliver behavioral health services. A partner-and-customer relationship as well as an adjacent operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Service Access & Management