Changing a generation - one child at a time.
In 1992 it became very evident that children in the local area were in critical need of specialized mental health services.  The St. John Medical Center Foundation wanted to use its resources and efforts to respond to what children needed.  The dream of A Child’s Place was initially identified by the Children’s Interagency Board (leaders of local children’s organizations).  Staff on the psychiatric unit echoed the concern that there needed to be a place for children to be assessed and where services could be coordinated between medical and social service professionals.

Task Force
A community Task Force defined the program.  The Foundation held fund-raisers and generated a large base of community donors.  Within a couple of years, enough money was pledged to make the dream become reality.  After months of searching, a child psychiatrist was identified.  When the doors opened In 1997, Dr. Mark Schwei, Child Psychiatrist, and Kyle Rahn, Program Manager were the team leaders for A Child’s Place.  The Foundation continued to raise funds and participated with management of this new program.  The Task Force and some members of the Foundation Board formed an Advisory Board, assisting with the development and operation of A Child’s Place.  Annual symposiums, conducted in the early years, involved multiple professionals and members of the community, and helped to keep the vision.

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Focus
A major focus of A Child’s Place has always been prevention, early intervention, and education.  Issues of older children were so severe, however, that most of the early critical services were directed to that population.  There have been changes in psychiatric leadership over time and the severity of children’s issues dictated the need for more than one psychiatrist.  The program has, by necessity, become more clinical in nature than originally intended.  The Advisory Board continues to provide leadership to work toward the vision – serving the young child, collaborating with other community professionals and with parents, sponsoring educational forums, and “changing a generation – one child at a time.” 

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Donors
A Child’s Place is grateful to the many donors who helped to launch this program.  A list of the contributors is included below.  Some original donors are continuing to make contributions, through the Foundation, to ensure that services for which no other funds are available can be provided.  Individuals interested in contributing to the kinds of services that will be mission and vision focused are invited to make a gift, or learn more at the St. John Medical Center Foundation's web site.

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A Child's Place

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