Paving the Way
Public community health services are part of the legacy of the late President John F. Kennedy. During his administration, the Community Mental Health Center Act of 1963 was signed. Then Federal funds became available to states for the purpose of developing community-based mental health services for all people regardless of their age, race, sex, creed, and income. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was credited with launching the movement toward community-based services by sponsoring the 1963 legislation that created the community mental health center network.
The dream was that with research, prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation, the mentally ill and the emotionally disabled would be returned to their families from the state asylums and be maintained in their communities.
A Need in Northeast Oklahoma
In 1977, a group of people from the Gateway Economic Development Association of Vinita, Oklahoma obtained federal funding to begin a non-profit 501(c)(3) community mental health service for the seven counties in the northeast corner of Oklahoma. It was named the Northeast Oklahoma Human Development Services, and after a period of refinement, including the conversion of federal funds to state grants in 1984, the agency changed its name to Grand Lake Mental Health Center, Inc. and moved its central administration location from Vinita to Nowata, Oklahoma. In March 2022, the agency shortened its name to GRAND Mental Health as it continues to expand to communities beyond the Grand Lake area.
Current Operations
Currently, GRAND Mental Health operates facilities in twelve Oklahoma counties, along with three crisis centers. Each office has its own administrative support and service staff and each functions somewhat differently according to the needs and resources of the community it serves. The Administrative Office is located in Nowata, and the Executive Office Building is in Claremore, OK. The Board of Directors, consisting of up to 14 members in the Service Area, is the governing body of the organization.
