History

Mission Statement

The Center Aspires To Provide To Clients, Community, And Staff
A Safe, Confidential, And Supportive Environment,
For The Purpose Of Delivering Quality Comprehensive Mental Health, Rehabilitative, and Alcohol And Drug Services
In A Financially Responsible Manner.
We Can Help!

The Center is the agency, which resulted from the merger between Family Services of North Central Ohio, Inc., an Ohio non-profit corporation, and the Richland County Mental Health Association, Inc., and Ohio non-profit corporation on September 5, 1975. Chartered in 1952, the Richland County Mental Health Association, Inc. had among its purposes to establish, maintain, and conduct a center for the study and treatment of emotional/mental difficulties. Family Services of North Central Ohio, Inc. had been a corporation which was chartered in 1961 to provide a skilled, professional case work service for problems of family living and individual social adjustment.

In 1976, The Center added programming designed to serve high risk groups and to move in the direction of crisis intervention, transitional services, prevention, consultation, and residential. The facility at 741 Scholl Road was dedicated in September of 1981 and was almost 90% funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) (the remainder was funded by private donation). In 1987 an addition was built onto The Center facility. The new addition included an area for the Medical Department, for Children’s Programming, and a wing for the Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (RCMHRSB) offices. During this time funding was more readily available, there was not much competition for the services The Center provided.

In the 1990’s several themes began to impact the delivery of mental health and drug and alcohol services (i.e. de-institutionalization—which increased the acuity of the severely mentally disabled clients that Center staff served, and funding began to tighten as over the span of this decade the State of Ohio was to experience a 10% decrease in funding for mental health and alcohol/drug treatment/prevention services. Also in the mid 1990’s The Center applied for and received a 1.4 million dollar grant for the HUD “Homestead” 24 unit housing project.) In 1997 through 2004 there was a complete operational change—team concept, the recovery concept and dual diagnosis treatment were emphasized. Children’s Programming was formalized by the hiring of a child & adolescent psychiatrist (followed by two more in 2003-4). The Center began a significant decrease in the utilization of Massillon (HBH) bed days and to address this decrease, there were consistent and ongoing expansions of housing. The Center developed an Advisory Committee in 2001 and in 2002; The Center was named “The Best Community Mental Health Agency of the year—for the State of Ohio” by NAMI. In 2002/3 The Center experienced a decrease in funding from the RCMHRSB due to an increase in Medicaid billing across the community (non-Medicaid services were cut i.e. 2 groups homes were closed, admin was cut, staff were decreased). Despite this, The Center staff succeeded in maintaining quality, improving efficiencies, and increasing funding. The Director of ODMH recognized the Center in September of 2003 for achieving these goals. In 2004, funding was stabilized across the agency and The Center’s Forensic Center proved itself by becoming a self-supporting wing of the agency. In 2005, The Center was recognized by both the New Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center and the State of Ohio Department of Mental Health for exemplary work in the area of Implementation of Evidenced Based Practices. In 2006, The Center received an excellent CARF review, which included three exemplary practices one of which was recognition of our SAMI ACT Team. By October 2008 the economic situation took its toll and The Center experienced two large reductions in funding. Due to a dedicated staff and Board, and sound strategic planning, The Center survived the situation well. Also in 2009, The Center worked for several months on Due Diligence with the Rehab Center. As of January 1, 2010, the integration of the Rehab Center and all of its services became a reality. By 2011, the combined Center/Rehab Center staff were working well together to meet the continuing escalating needs of a community reacting to a severe economic recession.


Specialty Programming
The Center is one of the most comprehensive agencies in the State of Ohio providing the full range of outpatient services for children adolescents and adults, providing mental health, rehabilitative, and alcohol and other drug treatment and also providing Forensic services.

Substance Abusing Mentally Ill
(statewide, nationally, and internationally recognized)
Psychiatric Services: For both Adults & Children
Crisis Services: 24 hours per day 7 days per week crisis response for children and adults
Crisis Hotline: 24 hours per day 7 days per week emotional crisis helpline
Supportive Employment: Provide vocational services to mentally ill adults
Illness Management Recovery: Insures that clients/family have input into treatment
Recovery/Team Concept Across the agency: For both Adults & Children
In Home Services: We provide crisis services, counseling, case management and med/som
Prescreening: Designated to evaluate admission to state hospitals and hospitals other than MCM
Forensic Center: NGRI Evaluations, Domestic Violence, Court Ordered, Sexual Offender, and AOD evals and tx
Manage Wrap Around Funds: For residential/housing/hospital/nursing home for adult mentally ill
Central Pharmacy: Administer state central pharmacy funds for consumers
Transportation Funds: Manage funds to transport consumers to state and local hospitals

 

Residential Programming

Own & Manage
Center Crisis Unit=9 Beds
Services Enriched Housing=8 Beds
Mental Health Board Apartments=8 Units
Homestead Housing, Maxwell Drive=24 Units
New Beginnings Recovery Services = 16 Beds

Grant
SHP Apartments=8 Units

Manage
Alpine Housing, Alpine Drive=12 Units
Dalton Place Apartments=12 Units