HISTORY OF GRATIOT COUNTY COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

• Gratiot County Community Mental Health Services Board was established in November of 1966 as the first rural CMH Board in the State of Michigan. Board operations were housed in the basement of a local church.
• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) awarded a grant to GCCMHSB in April 1969 to fund staffing.  This grant continued for eight years as the Gratiot Community Hospital and Montcalm County CMH worked in Cooperation with the Agency.
• During the period of 1970-1980 the Board operated an alcohol and drug prevention and treatment program known as the Gratiot County Drug Alcohol Information Center. In June of 1990 the Capital Area Substance Abuse System rescinded funding for this program. The program was later opened as Alcohol, Drug Abuse, Prevention &Treatment (ADAPT).
• In 1971, the Board was awarded a construction grant to support a mental health Day Activities Program providing social and recreational activities for persons with mental illness in Gratiot County. This program was located in the basement of the Gratiot Community Hospital.  Additionally, impatient services were developed and managed by the Board within Gratiot Community Hospital.
• Federal grant money became available in 1977 to create an Adult Activity Program for the citizens of Gratiot County with developmental disabilities.  These Services originated in the former Bailey School Building at the corner of Van Buren and Jerome Roads in Alma. The program was named in honor of the late Cleo Johnson of Ithaca who played a major role in contribution to special education programs for persons with mental impairments within Gratiot County and the State of Michigan.
• In 1978, the NIMH awarded a construction grant to the Board to build the Mental Health Center located at 320 Warwick Drive.  Additional federal grants were awarded in 1979 for the Day Activities Program.
• A new addition was added to the 320 Warwick Drive building in November 1988.  This addition now houses the offices for Services to Persons with Developmental Disabilities and the Cleo Johnson Adult Activity Program.
• The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA) allowed funding to established a program to monitor nursing home placement for geriatric citizens with mental health needs in Gratiot County.
• The Board was considered a Full Management Board in its’ contractual relationship with the Michigan Department of Community Health in 1992.
• The Child, Family and Adolescent Center located on Gratiot Avenue in the old Fire Hall was established in 1995 to provide services to children, adolescents and families in need on mental health services.
• On June 28, 1996 the board earned a four-year accreditation from the Counsel on Accreditation Services for Families and Children (COA), the most comprehensive independent accrediting body for organizations providing behavioral health care.
• In 1996, the Board was awarded Federal Block Grants for development of Wrap-Around, Home Based Services, Case Management for Children and Geriatric Outreach programs.  The most recent addition to the Board’s array of services is the Assertive community Treatment program that began in 1997.
• The Board was awarded Mental Health Authority status on September 23, 1997 by the Department of Community Mental Health.