About Us

                                            CIRC's Mission Statement

It is the mission of  the Crisis Intervention and Recovery Center, Inc., to provide person-centered crisis intervention, stabilization, and recovery-based services in the least restrictive environment feasible, and to respond to evolving community mental health and  chemical dependency programming needs by developing and providing needed services.

Crisis Intervention & Recovery Center History

“At a Glance”

January 1970                

• Crisis Prevention Committee of the Stark County Mental Health Association met to discuss extensive research conducted by Mrs. Sheila Fisher.

 March 1970

• Suicide Prevention & Crisis Help Service was organized.
• Herbert Heine was hired as Director.
• Membership Drive was begun to recruit volunteers to answer the crisis lines.
• Secured a space at Aultman Hospital and phone lines were installed.
• Volunteers trained.

 June 1970

• Funding for the agency was provided by passing of Ohio House Bill 648.  The budget for the center was initially $18,000 and approved for $22,000 for FY70 (7/70-6/71) through the Stark County Mental Health Board (648 Board).
• Center opened June 1970.

 December, 1972

• Discussions began for an outreach program.

 May, 1975

• Walk-in center was proposed to the 648 Board.

 January, 1976

• Walk-in center was approved by the 648 Board.

 September, 1976

• Walk-in center opened when the Crisis Center moved to 1341 North Market Street and officially became the Crisis Intervention Center of Stark County.

June, 1976

• Funding increased to include: 

                  -     24/7 psychiatric emergency program

                  -     Availability of 4 psychiatrists for consultation

                  -     On-site psychiatric treatment

                  -     Part-time Medical Services Director (Dr. Omar Elazar).

 June, 1977

• Funding increased to include:

-          Full time:  psychiatric nurse, director, bookkeeper, secretary, 4 counselors

-          Part time:  7 counselors, Volunteer Coordinator 

October, 1977

• The agency incorporated.

January, 1983

• Moved to 2421 – 13^th Street N.W., Canton (occupying the first level).

 January, 1991

• Agency purchased the building.

 1992

• Expanded its services to provide a stabilization unit which consisted of 4 beds.

 February, 1994

• Huge renovation project of both floors
• Crisis Stabilization Unit began operation:  14 beds for adults, 2 beds for detox clients, 12 beds for psychiatric clients, and a kids unit where children and adolescents were able to stay and receive treatment.

 March, 1995

• Due to budget constraint, the "kids" unit was closed.

1998

• MST (Multi-systemic Treatment) Program was started.

 April, 2004

• Foundations, a client operated agency came under the umbrella of the Crisis Center.

 July, 2004

• ACTT (Assertive Community Treatment Team) became a program of the Crisis Center.

 August 5, 2005

• Nova Behavioral Health Center closed precipitously in one weekend without notice after losing its non-Medicaid contract with the Stark County Community Mental Health Board.
• The following Monday, the Mental Health Board called an emergency meeting with the Executive Team of the Crisis Center and requested , as a service to the Stark County community and behavioral health consumers, to immediately develop and implement a plan to manage and provide services and support for the over 5,500 clients served by Nova who were now without a provider.
• With the approval of its Board of Trustees at an emergency meeting that same day, the Crisis Center created and implemented such a plan.  The Crisis Center utilized many of its existing staff to provide necessary services to Nova clients over the next six months.  Within six months, other system providers were prepared to begin service provision.  Crisis staff provided "double duty" throughout that time since all existing operations of the Crisis Center needed to continue uninterrupted as critical services to Nova clients were also delivered.  An additional  nurse was graciously provided by Aultman Hospital to assist in the first three months of this project.
• Concomitantly, the Stark county Community Mental Health Board and staff provided system-wide behavioral healthcare leadership, assumed Nova client medical records responsibilities, assisted with system coordination of efforts and actualized planning and implementation meetings with the other Stark County providers who were eventually to serve this population. 
• At significant personal, fiscal and operational costs and without the opportunity for due diligence in the assumption of these significant and high risk responsibilities (due to the immediacy and urgency of need and the potential life and death perils this situation presented for the severe and persistently Stark County mentally ill consumers and their families), the Crisis Center successfully served the entire Nova population while sustaining existing operations without a single fatality or major incident.  ODMH Director Dr. Michael Hogan stated at ta subsequent Stark County Recognition Event, that this result fortunately exceeded the Department's expectations for such a massive system crisis, and he publicly thanked CIRC, among others, for their significant role in this success. 

 December, 2005

• Official name change to Crisis Intervention & Recovery Center, Inc.

January, 2006

• Formalized the purchase of the building.
• Major renovations.

January, February, March 2006

•  Transfer of nova clients from CIRC to Coleman Behavioral Health, Community Services and Trillium Family Solutions

March - April, 2006

• Administration, Clinical, ACTT, SAMI, IDDT and MST moved into the McKinley Avenue building.

 May, 2006

• Open House

 July 2006

• CIRC becomes a United Way Agency.

August 8, 2006 (7:00am)

• Recovery Center opened for business continuing the following programs:  SAMI, Mental Health Track, HOPE, Forensic and A.I.R.R.

January, 2007

• Foundations became independent.

July 2009

• SHELTER Care Program implemented.

July 2011

• The contract with Heartland Behavioral Healthcare to provide State Operated Services Employees for CIRC's ACT Team was not renewed.
• ACT and IDDT Teams were integrated into a single program and both consumer populations were served according to both Evidence-Based Models.
• CIRC Outpatient Program began serving all populations inclusive of SAMI consumers not requiring intensive or specialized services such as ACT/IDDT.
• ODMH and ODADAS begin implementation of Medicaid Cost Containment rules.
• As members of Stark County's Electronic Health Records Consortium, CIRC assisted in selecting a vender and begins the implementation process.