ANNUAL REPORT - FISCAL YEAR 1999-2000
A period of far-reaching opportunities for the Human Services Center

Dennis W. Nebel, Psy. D.
Executive Director

Board of Directors

John DeCaro, Ph.D.,
President

Susan Miller,
Vice President

Minerva S. Rapp
Secretary

Condi Augustine
Treasurer

Donna Davies
Sister Pat Fogle
William Foster
Wilbert Grossman
Kenneth Huddle
Robert E. Jamison, Esq.,
  Director Emeritus
Daniel Levine
Walter Luikart
Gary Lynch, Esq.
Roy Meehan
William McTaggart, Ph.D.
Marlene Stoddard
Arthur Zarone

This past year will be remembered as an especially momentous period in the history of the Human Services Center. Far-reaching opportunities were created when HSC’s board of directors passed a resolution to become an affiliate of St. Francis Hospital of New Castle. Through this affiliation, the Human Services Center and St. Francis Hospital have agreed, in essence, to share resources, avoid duplication, and expand behavioral health care services to the region. A unified behavioral health care system will be created which will draw upon the expertise of both institutions. While we have just begun the task of developing the details of the affiliation, we are convinced that we are going in the right direction and that the beneficiaries of this affiliation will ultimately be the community we serve.

Dennis W. Nebel, Psy.D.
Executive Director

"New and Expanded Program Development "
HSC expanded its use of the Ellwood City Uni-Center by providing additional services to residents of the Ellwood area. The Ellwood City Uni-Center, which is owned and operated by HSC, provides office space to six additional agencies which operate out of the Uni-Center.

Contracts were established with two new psychiatrists, Dr. Suzanne Lucot and Dr. Timothy Schneider. Drs. Lucot and Schneider will provide psychiatric services for HSC and through the private practices of Dr. Richardson and Dr. Matta, respectively.

Grant funds secured by State Representative, Frank LaGrotta, enabled the Center to implement a violence prevention program for Ellwood City Area Schools.

Brighter Visions, a collaborative effort between HSC and the New Castle School System, began operations. While only in its first year, Brighter Visions is being viewed as a model pro-gram for mental health centers in Western Pennsylvania. The program is based in Ben Franklin Jr. High School and provides intensive mental health treatment for children ages 6-12. A certified teacher is also assigned to the program.

A summer therapeutic activities program was organized for children and adolescents who needed a structured, therapeutic environment over the summer months. Fifteen children/adolescents participated in the program.

A series of eight seminars was organized in the spring. Those seminars were intended for professionals in the behavioral health field and were co-sponsored by HSC, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work.

Additional beds were added to the Center’s Habitat Program which provides transitional living arrangements for HSC clients.

A support group for family members of Alzheimer’s Disease victims was organized in collaboration with Silver Oaks Nursing Center, Challenges – Options in Aging, and the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Youngstown.

The USDA awarded a Rural Business Enterprise Grant of $46,818 to HSC to continue to provide vocational opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. The funds will be used to support the Westfield Coop-erative, a client-run organization that is engaged in a number of business ventures at Westfield.

The Center received notification that it will receive $707,812 in HUD funds to develop a group home for homeless adults with a history of mental illness. The grant will also provide supportive services for three years.