Roger Kelly, executive director, announces that the Irene Stacy Community Mental Health Center will expand its programming through Jake's Place to serve individuals who struggle with the co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and serious mental illness.

Jake's Place on Route 8 is under renovation after a fire gutted the building in September.

Kelly noted that Jake's Place was named to honor Jake Widenhofer, who died in 1991. Widenhofer was a volunteer and eventually an employee who over the years encouraged hundreds of people suffering from mental health disorders and substance abuse to visit the Irene Stacy Center for treatment.

Jake's Place is slated to open this spring.

Betsy Duncan and Marsha Wagner, program directors at the Irene Stacy Center, will co-direct Jake's Place. Duncan directs the Addictive Behaviors Unit at the center while Wagner directs the Acute Partial Hospitalization Program for clients who struggle with mental health illness.

Duncan said, "All clinical staff at Jake's Place will have received specialized training and certification to provide service for clients with co-occurring illnesses."

Wagner added, "The program will be dually licensed by the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services making the program at Jake's Place one of the first co-occurring competent programs in the state — a major accomplishment."

The Irene Stacy Center, serving Butler County for more than 50 years, continually searches for ways to better serve the community.

Center employees believe that every child and adult who struggles with mental illness, intellectual disabilities and substance-abuse disorders should have the opportunity to receive affordable support and guidance in their rehabilitation and recovery process.

The center is dedicated to serving those people who suffer from debilitating disorders and to helping them to lead healthy, productive and rewarding lives.

This article was submitted by the Irene Stacy Community Mental Health Center.