Newaygo County Mental Health was first established in 1972. This was a time of dramatic change with the idea that people living in state institutions would be released to the community if the local mental health center would provide counseling, foster care, medications, and regular monitoring. This agency was very successful in accomplishing the goal of not using state institutions.
At Community Mental Health, all of us are responsible for treating every person, without exception, with respect and compassion. We see it everyday - those triumphant moments when someone takes a step toward independence. Perhaps the step is small, perhaps it is larger, but it is always magnificent. And every single time, the benefit achieved by the individual is also of benefit to the community as a whole.
That's what we do at Community Mental Health. We cultivate hope. The hope that someone has when taking their first small step toward recovering from a mental illness. We nurture dreams. The dream of much larger steps, toward becoming gainfully employed or living independently. Simply put, what Community Mental Health does is grow human potential.
The CMH system is accountable to
citizens through County Boards of Commissioners, which typically
appoint a twelve-person CMH board. Our board establishes the policy
direction for each program, consistent with state and federal law,
standards and guidelines. Furthermore, at least 1/3 of each board’s
membership is comprised of consumers.
We are a member of Mid-State Health Network (MSHN), a multi-county alliance of community mental health agencies.