The mission of the D&E Center is "to provide behavioral health care services to children and those adults involved in their lives, which achieve goals that enrich the child's quality and success in life."
This mission is rooted in the following facts which reinforce the pursuit of the mission stated above:
1. Several decades of research have shown that the promise and potential lifetime benefits of preventing mental health, emotional and behavioral (MEB) disorders are greatest by focusing on young people. (9)
2. Most MEB disorders have their beginnings in childhood and adolescence. Among adults reporting a MEB disorder during their lifetime, more than half report the onset as occurring in childhood or adolescence. (7)
3. The prevailing rate of MEB disorders in children younger than 18 exists at the same levels as that in adults and therefore deserve the same level of attention and support in their identification and treatment, as that given to adults. (1)
4. Early MEB problems predict failure in the larger context of the community, in incidences of crime, school failure, substance abuse and unemployment. (3,5,10)
5. Emotional and behavioral development is nested in the context of family, school, neighborhood and the larger culture and that effective mental health interventions must occur within the context of these multiple systems. (6,8,9,12)
6. Research over the last three decades has demonstrated that it can no longer be argued that there is no evidence when utilizing established "best practices" that mental emotional and behavioral disorders occurring during childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood cannot be prevented and/or effectively ameliorated when treated. (4, 11)
7. The prevention of MEB in young people has long term cost benefit to society in the reduction of costs related to healthcare, child welfare, education, juvenile justice and the criminal justice system, as well as enormous additional costs in terms of the suffering of individuals, families and others. (2)
These facts are documented by and supported in the findings of established and respected public health institutions, such as the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, the U.S. Department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the President's Commission on Mental Health Services and the results of countless hundreds of independent, university and foundation supported research (for a copy of above-mentioned referenced, contact Cathy Reppy).
It is these facts which influence the development and provision of the programs and services of the Center and support the child mental health advocacy taken in the past and future by the Center's Board of Directors and staff.
Governing Documents (Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws), Form 990, Financial Statements and Conflict of Interest Policy available upon request. Contact Vicci Polish at 330-793-2487.