History / Mission
Northwestern Mental Health Center History
The Northwestern Mental Health Center in Crookston had its beginnings in 1957. The Center credits its beginnings with the initial work of local area physicians including Dr. Howard Wikoff, Dr. Clifford Stadem, Dr. Stanley Hirsch, and Dr. Robert Schnabel. Together with Emil Bagley, then Polk County Social Services Director, Vernon Strandemo, Social Services Director from Mahnomen County and other local leaders, they formed the beginnings of what was to be a multi-county community mental health program. The program began humbly with a few staff, and a vision to build a community based care delivery system which would insure access to a full array of mental health services to area residents. Today, the Center's staff includes over 100 people including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, mental health professionals and practitioners and additional supporting professionals who contribute their training and talents. The Center serves 2,700 – 2,800 people annually most of whom are from the six member counties including Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Polk, and Red Lake Counties.
Since its inception, the Center has partnered with its sponsoring counties and the respective county social service agencies, assisting residents in need of one or more of the Center's services. Throughout its history, the Center has continued in its collaboration/cooperation with Schools, Churches, Health Care Organizations, Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System to jointly address local mental health needs. In recent years, these relationships have become more formalized with local County Collaboratives for Children and Adult Mental Health Initiative for adults with severe mental illness, a partnership with the Riverview Healthcare Association to provide Mental Health Crisis services, a Safe Schools Initiative, and other multi agency service programs. The Center is a partner in a number of other community initiatives to help integrate mental health concerns into other community wide interests.
Mission Statement
The Northwestern Mental Health Center, a private not for profit corporation owned by its member counties, is committed to providing a full range of behavioral health services to the citizens of Kittson, Marshall, Red Lake, Polk, Norman, and Mahnomen Counties to:
- Prevent the emergence of mental health problems
- To provide early intervention to limit the impact of problems, and
- To treat serious mental health problems in order to reduce or eliminate long-term difficulties for dysfunction for individuals and families.
